Stolen
by Char The Prodigal
Summary: Zoom stole what was most precious to Barry: His ability to run. Will Barry be able to recover himself, or is he lost forever? AU where Zoom had stolen Barry's speed during episode 6, rendering Barry paralysed and unable to run again. Possible SnowJay and Westallen.
1. Stolen

**Synopsis: "With or without your speed, you are still you, Barry." Zoom has stolen his courage. Zoom has stolen his pride. Zoom has stolen his speed. Zoom has stolen his life. Alternate Season 2 after episode 6 if Zoom had stolen Barry's speed, ultimately preventing him from healing.**

Caitlin Snow was a brilliant doctor. Really, she was. Even she had to admit that. To downplay that fact would be false humility and honestly, bad form. She had the skills necessary to handle near every medical situation that was thrown at her, and her better-known qualification in bioengineering boosted her confidence as well as her skills.

But she could only handle _near_ every situation that was thrown at her, and this one was beginning to prove a bit too much. For several listable reasons:

Adrenaline. Yes, adrenaline is often a force for good, but in this instance it clouded her judgement more that it cleared it, and it shook her more than it strengthened her.

Training. She was a qualified medical practitioner. In fact, she was an over-qualified _specialist_ in _several_ fields. But that was just it. She was an over-qualified specialist with insufficient practical training. Especially the training that was required for this particular case.

The extent. There is always that one case that is _just too much._

Barry.

That last reason made her want to kick herself. She has been Barry Allen's self-proclaimed personal physician for nearly two whole years. She knew the average rate at which he healed, the rhythm of his heart, his own personal 'safe' body temperature…

But this time was different. This time there were far too few constants and far too many variables. There were factors that were impossible to factor in as quickly as she would have liked, there were aspects of the situation that had her baffled.

It was just _too much._

 _Stay with me, Barry. Please, stay with me._

So she did what she did best. She shut up and got to work. Coldly and calmly, Caitlin performed the necessary first aid, assessment, _possible spinal injury_ , and, with Cisco's help, got him safely moved to and stabilised on the gurney. Before she knew exactly what she was doing, she had her lab coat on and was pulling her gloves over her shaking hands, momentarily leaning against a table to ease the nervous trembling. She was _Dr. Snow_. She could do this.

She looked up at Cisco, who had also slipped on gloves at some point, his face expressionless. He caught her gaze and nodded. They could do this.

It was as Caitlin was assessing Barry's injuries that she realised how truly grateful she was for Star Lab's apparent excess in technology. She was especially grateful for the fact that most of the medical equipment was small enough to be hand-held, thereby minimising the need for Barry to be moved around too much. Although he was stable, she was understandably still a bit on edge.

"THIS IS ON YOU! IF BARRY DIES, YOU DIE!"

It took a while for Caitlin to realise that Joe's threat was not directed at her, but at Harry instead. She whipped her head around, "Joe! Barry's vitals have stabilised, let's let him go!" she desperately implored, her hands coming up as if to appease Joe's anger.

"No, Caitlin!"

"Why? What good does that do Barry?!"

Joe lowered his voice, flaming brown orbs boring into Harry's seething cold irises.

"It's gonna help me." Joe stated.

Caitlin watched Joe, her overly tense frame relaxing only a teensy bit as she saw Joe slowly calm down.

Until Harry decided to challenge him. Wonderful.

She jumped back in fright as Joe shoved the arrogant physicist against the door frame with enough force to possibly break Harry's spine if he had struck it at the right (or wrong) angle, depending on how you looked at the situation. She tensed up and prepared to witness a fight, when Cisco's hand appeared on Joe's arm, stilling him instantly.

"Joe, stop! Who's Jesse?"

Crisis averted, Caitlin only half listened as she went back to attending Barry. She knew that he was stabilised, and she knew that he healed far quicker and better than any human being alive, but something was amiss. And the feeling that not all will turn out well sank like a rock to the bottom of her stomach.

xXx

"So, buddy, you know that they released new footage for Deadpool right? I am so psyched. You know, we could go watch it together when it is released. Of course we will go watch it, the release date is in February. You will be awake by then. We have to drag Caitlin along, I have a feeling she will _really_ enjoy it. You better not take a nap for a whole nine months again Barry, because there is no way in _hell_ that I will be watching Deadpool alone…"

Caitlin just blocked Cisco's yammering out. She knew that talking was his coping mechanism, and he knew that her coping mechanism was being left alone for a while and then just being listened to. So he took the talking to a comatose Barry, and let Caitlin be alone with her tests while he coped. Win-win.

Caitlin ran the simulation again. This could not be right. She took another look at Barry's blood sample, impossible. She went to get a fresh sample, earning a worried look from Cisco, who just went on talking about Guardians of the Galaxy, albeit a bit more animatedly, when she shook her head.

She ran the tests again. And again.

And then she cursed.

It was quietly, and under her breath, but Cisco was immediately at her side.

"What's wrong?"

It took a minute for Caitlin to find her words, "Zoom stole Barry's speed...he...he…"

Cisco took his friend by the shoulders and turned her towards him, giving them a reassuring squeeze.

"Yeah?"

Caitlin swallowed, "He is not healing, Cisco. He's not…"

Cisco stepped forward and held her as the full realisation of the situation crashed over them. He felt stupid for first thinking about the fact that Deadpool may not happen, but for the moment that kept him from totally breaking down as he held a sobbing, defeated and overworked Dr. Snow in his arms.


	2. Reminded

**Last Time:**

" _He can't heal...he...he"_

 _Cisco stepped forward and held her as the full reality of the situation crashed over them_.

xXx

"Zoom did what now?"

Iris heard perfectly clearly what Caitlin had said, and she was very sure that her father did too. But she could not blame him for the incredulous denial, as her denial stage was pretty much in full swing now too, she thought as she crossed her arms, a crease forming between her eyebrows.

Caitlin repeated herself anyway, this time in greater detail. "I don't know how, but Zoom has somehow extracted the Speedforce from Barry's system…"

"But, isn't this just temporary? I mean, last year Blackout stole Barry's speed, and Barry got it back." Joe interrupted.

Caitlin sighed, "Yes, I thought that too, but then I analysed his DNA. His genome was damaged. Genetically, he is still a metahuman, but he can no longer connect to the Speedforce no matter what. I am really sorry. I ran all the tests I possibly could. Trying to reintroduce the Speedforce into his system by any means could prove _fatal."_

Iris sighed deeply, rubbing her forehead between her eyes. The denial stage was still fighting strong, but the realisation of how _messed up_ this really is began creeping in.

"What's the damage, Caitlin?" Iris directed, now ready to hear the full diagnosis. She could not wait for this any longer, she had to know. Do your worst, Dr. Snow.

Caitlin sighed deeply, proceeding once Cisco nodded, "The MRI shows a complete dislocation of the vertebrae from the T12 to L1 in the thoracolumbar junction. It is too early to give a prognosis yet, but it seems most likely that he will suffer from complete paraplegia, without any hope of regaining feeling or motion in his legs. There is also some trauma in his upper back from where he impacted the ground after fighting Zoom through the air. His left knee is broken, but with correct treatment, it will heal in time. He has a mild whiplash, and his breathing is slightly impaired due to weakening of the diaphragm and lower abdominal muscles. There is risk for bronchitis or pneumonia, but it is completely preventable with the level of care that we can provide here."

Iris waited for all of that to sink in.

"And the coma? How long will that last?"

Her father took the words right out of her mouth.

Caitlin swallowed, "We...don't know. With the extent of his injuries, it can be anywhere between weeks and months. My best estimate would be at four months, and that is extremely optimistic considering what he has been through. I am very sorry about this."

Four months. Four whole months that will be stolen from Barry's life, four whole months that her best friend would be taken from her again. And _that_ was the extremely optimistic outlook.

But then Iris looked at Caitlin. The dark circles under her eyes, the pallor of her already fair skin, her shaking hands and drawn cheekbones. Quite frankly, Caitlin looked like hell. She was Barry's friend too. One of his _best_ friends, and she has been through just as much, if not worse, than what Iris had been through. So, instead of storming out the room in rage-fuelled tears as she so badly wanted to do, Iris' features softened, and she uncrossed her arms.

"Thanks, Cait. For all you hard work, we really appreciate it."

And with that, Iris gave Caitlin her most genuine, understanding smile, and calmly walked out of the Cortex, ignoring the apologetic gaze Harry was clearly going through a lot of effort to muster.

xXx

Iris did not know where she was going, but she certainly knew where she did not want to go. She could not go to Jitters, it was where Barry first saw her after he woke up. She could not go home, it was where she and Barry grew up. She could not go to the precinct, it was where she always brought Barry coffee, and muffins, and stole his chips…

" _Hands off my fries!" Barry half yelled, half scolded her, snatching the chip carton out of Iris' hands and stalking off to his desk._

" _I am stress-eating over my dissertation!" Iris protested, "we started selling Cronuts at Jitters, and I ate two today! If I do not graduate soon, I am going to be more muffin top than woman."_

" _You look amazing." Barry retorted without hesitation, a look of pure disbelief painted on his features._

 _He always thought she was beautiful._

Iris felt a tear trickle down her cheek. Angrily, she swatted it away and increased her pace. She had to get somewhere, anywhere away from here.

" _Hey! How was your trip? Did you find proof of the impossible in Starling City or did you just make my dad mad for nothing?" Iris chuckled, leaning onto her and Barry's interlinked arms._

 _Barry smiled, and then seemed to ponder something before saying, "Actually, while I was away I had a chance to think about, well...you know...relationships…"_

 _He looked at her as if testing the water, then, "Well, I am not in one, and...you are not in one either." He paused, "You are my best friend, Iris."_

" _I know, why else would I be_ here _?"_

 _Barry looked defeated, "That is not what I meant…"_

" _I know what you are going to say."_

If only she really knew. If only she knew that in that moment, she had brushed off her best friend's feelings as if they never mattered at all. That in that moment, in that moment when she said to herself _she still had time_ she was only an hour away from possibly losing her best friend for eternity.

" _Barry, I really need you to wake up, I_ need _you."_

 _She always needed him._

She picked up the pace.

 _Barry, running after a random thief to get her laptop because_ it was her laptop _and she was going to lose her dissertation._

 _Barry literally running late._

 _Barry's unquenchable enthusiasm. "IMAGINE ALL WE COULD LEARN FROM THIS!"_

" _I'm glad you came, I'm glad you come"_

 _College tap dance group._

" _You've been struck by, you've been hit by a smooth criminal!"_

 _Track team, prom, homecoming._

" _I WANNA SEE MY DAD!"_

Iris began to run.

 _Barry, just after he was struck by lightning. The whine of the defibrillators, the arching of Barry's back._

" _BARRY!"_

 _The flatline, Barry seizing. "I NEED THE ROOM! I NEED THE ROOM!"_

" _Iris! Jump out the window! I will catch you!"_

" _I love you, Iris."_

Iris didn't slow down gently to a stop. She did not trip and fall, instead, she collided with the sandy ground, tears falling freely as the dam behind her eyes broke. She just stayed there, on her hands and knees in the sandy shore, her body wracked with unbridled sobs.

She could not understand why, but somehow this place seemed familiar.

" _I am sorry Iris, but I did not want you to find out this way."_

The shock of realising Barry was the Flash. The Tsunami. The kiss. Barry running and running and running until he disappeared in a sharp, piercing light.

It was all just too much.

Right there and then, Iris curled up into a ball and cried.

xXx

Cisco was not one for sitting still. Seriously, never. Even when he was sitting, he was doing something. He was twirling in his chair, he was nibbling a Twizzler. He was coding the next breathtaking app or script that would save the world. Okay, the last one was a bit of an exaggeration. Point of the matter was, Cisco Ramon does not sit still.

But now Cisco was sitting still, perfectly still, and it was creeping him out. Partially because the reason of his uncharacteristic stillness was his comatose best friend lying in front of him, bruises that would normally have been long healed by now still littering his pallid face. It was simply wrong.

Cisco felt stupid. Some part of him hoped beyond hope that Barry could hear him, hear his voice and take it as an encouragement or motivation to _wake the hell up_ and not look like a corpse. Another part of him hoped beyond hope that Barry could _not_ hear him, because if Barry could hear him, Cisco would have spoiled the Captain America: Civil War trailer and all related theories, as well as the fact that he was _scared_ and that he really, really, really needed his best friend to be okay. Not that it would be bad that Barry knew that Cisco really wanted Barry to be okay, but it is kinda bad for a man's rep if it ever be ratted out that you cried. And Cisco had _cried_ the past eight hours. A lot. Too much.

A slight movement caught Cisco's eye. It was Harry, dawdling on the other end of the Cortex, to ashamed to look up from the floor he was currently intently observing. They were alone at the moment. Cisco ordered Caitlin to go and get some sleep, even if it was in one of the med cots from the room across the hallway, and Joe had left to look for Iris.

Wait, did Harry know Cisco was _crying_?

Just as that concern popped up into Cisco's head, it vanished. Harry was too preoccupied with his recent blunder and possible doom of his daughter to even realise that he was drawing some blood from the fist he was clenching perhaps a little too hard.

Cisco had to do something.

"You know, his heart will not suddenly give out if you are within a two-metre radius of him right? It is medically and scientifically impossible, as well as mathematically improbable."

Harry hardly responded. Cisco was about to raise his voice again when Harry's eyes slowly left the floor in favour of the wall adjacent to the med bay doors.

Harry sighed deeply before replying, "You never struck me as the kind to reach out to those who hurt those closest to you."

"I am not. Just get your ass over here already, _Harry_."

It took Harry a few guilty seconds, but eventually he sauntered over, not coming any nearer than just up the wheelchair-access ramp. He leaned against the doorframe and drummed his fingers against the white plastic as he fixed his eyes on the deathly pale, mottled-blue face of the once lively and vibrant Barry Allen.

Cisco observed Harry for a minute or so, watching the pained and guilty blue irises flit back and forth across the array that was tubes, hospital bed and Barry, and in that order.

"It was not your fault." Cisco spoke up quietly.

"Yes it was, Ramon, and do not tell me any different." came the stoic reply.

Cisco rolled his eyes, "Don't tell me what to do."

Harry's lips twitched into a slight smile, fading as quickly as it came, "Never."

 **And that's that for today! Thank you to all the lovely people who have read and reviewed on this story, this is really something that I believe has a lot of potential and, besides, I need to practice writing for my SAT's. See you all next time! Any requests that you may have for a one shot, or suggestions that you have for this story, please either put it in your reviews or pm me. Thank you all again!**


	3. Awake

**And here is another chapter! Don't count on me always updating this often, I will update as I get time to. In the meantime, thank you for the support I have received for this story so far, and do not be afraid to share your thoughts and suggestions with me, I will really appreciate them. Enjoy!**

 **Last Time:**

 _"And the coma? How long will that last?"_

 _Her father took the words right out of her mouth._

 _Caitlin sighed deeply, "We...don't know. With the extent of his injuries, it can be anywhere between weeks and months. My best estimate would be at four months, and that is extremely optimistic considering what he has been through. I am very sorry about this."_

xXx

Deep in thought, Joe strode through the streets of Central City, keeping his eyes peeled for his daughter. If he knew her at all, she would avoid all the places that could or would bring memories of Barry, or take her thoughts to him. He knew from experience (he really wished he hadn't) that when things went south like this with people she cared about, Iris wanted to think and speak as little as possible.

But it has been over an hour, and even though Central City was relatively clean and safe, Joe being the cop dad he was, was extremely worried about his little girl. And he had to find her.

He knew that places like the precinct, Jitters and the house were off the radar, but he checked there anyway. Just in case. As was expected, she was not there. Joe climbed into his SUV and headed to the one place she might actually be, the one place that held, to his knowledge, absolutely no memories between her and Barry. The waterfront.

Oh, how wrong he was.

It was not her rigid posture on the park bench as he approached her from behind, nor was it the beach sand all over her coat that alerted him to the fact that something was amiss, well, _more_ amiss than what already was. Instead, it was her stony expression as she stared at the ocean in front of her, the crease between her eyebrows, and the tears she was fighting so hard to keep back each time she looked at a certain patch of land where grassy park met beach.

Something happened here.

He wanted to ask her about it, he really, really did. But he also knew that if she did not volunteer the information, she did not want to talk about it, so, instead, he sat down next to her, wrapping his arm around her as she leaned into his shoulder.

They sat like that for several minutes, Joe rubbing his thumb against her petite frame and Iris closing her eyes, enjoying the silence. They did not need to speak to know that the other one was terrified, and they did not need to cry to know that the other one was sad, anxious and _angry_ beyond belief.

And Joseph West was angry.

He was angry with Barry for not being careful. He was angry with Jay for not being there. He was angry with Harrison Wells for pushing Barry in the wrong direction. He was angry with Zoom for breaking his son.

But mostly, he was angry with himself. Disappointed, more like it. That he could not listen to his gut feeling _that was always right_ and get Barry to stop this madness. That he did not speak up when Jay left, that he did not tell Harrison Wells to _shut the hell up,_ and that he was just as caught up as Barry in getting Zoom that he did not stop and think that maybe, just maybe, things could go wrong.

The steady dampening on the shoulder of his dress shirt alerted him to the fact that his baby girl was crying.

Joe took her into his arms, and suddenly they were back in the hospital after Barry was struck by lightning, holding Iris as she cried, and watching on as the doctors scrambled after Barry had flat-lined once again.

For the first time in two years, Joe prayed once again for his son to make it out of this okay.

xXx

It has been a week since Barry went up against Zoom, and two days since Caitlin delivered the diagnosis to Joe and Iris. It has been four days since she discovered that the Speedforce was absent from Barry's system, and three since every single simulation she ran told her that getting Barry's speed back could kill him.

And now it was two hours since Caitlin has reached her limit.

She was spoiled. She really was. She was spoiled with Barry's healing factor. She had gotten so used to the fact that, even with the extent of Barry's injuries, he would have been up and about by now. At least _awake._

But now Barry Allen was just Barry Allen again, and it was killing her.

 _"With or without your speed, you are still you, Barry."_

Inwardly she berated herself. How _dare_ she make out Barry to be or even imply him to be less than he was without his speed?

 _"But I am not the best version of me."_

But he was. He always was the best version of himself. He was always Barry Allen. Sweet, kind, sensitive Barry Allen. Those aspects were the aspects that she noticed the most of him, and they had nothing to do with the fact that he could somehow tap into an extra-dimensional energy.

She looked once more over his chart. Point was, she hated waiting. Yes, she could take care of a comatose Barry Allen for months. That was not what was grating her.

She wanted to know how he was.

Medically, she knew exactly how he was. She knew how his organs and nervous system were struggling to adapt to a Speedforce-less environment, and how the bruises on his face, neck and back were taking painfully long to heal. She knew his _molecular_ frequency.

She knew he was not aware of his current state, but she still wanted to hug him. To comfort him and tell her that it will all be okay, that they will find a way to fix this, that he will get out of this stronger.

Because that is what he has always done for her.

She smiled, she remembered telling Barry that the singing was all she could remember from their karaoke night out, but that was not all she remembered. She remembered Barry tucking her into bed, making sure she was okay, and,

 _"Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?"_

And Barry did. Caitlin laughed bitterly at that. Now she was staying with him until he woke up, and she did not want him to be in the state that he was in in the first place.

Shaking her head, Caitlin moved towards Barry's bed again, checking his breathing, his heart rate, now _normal_ again, and other vital signs. She checked the level of the IV, making sure to include some painkillers so that Barry would not feel an onslaught of pain when he woke up.

It felt so strange giving Barry painkillers and not having his metabolism melt right through it.

One last time she checked that everything was okay, and then she put down her clipboard on the desk and turned to go pour herself tea, jumping when she saw a tall, dark silhouette in the doorway.

"Oh, Jay! Sorry, you scared me a bit."

"Sorry about that," Jay apologised, straightening himself and nodding towards Barry, "How bad is it?"

Caitlin bit her lip, "bad."

Jay nodded in understanding, frowning slightly before turning to Caitlin and asking, "Did Zoom..."

"He stole Barry's speed. Usually, Barry would be running again by now, or at least awake, but his healing is gone."

Jay nodded again, studying the prone form before him.

"How long?"

"One week. Looks like it may be months before he wakes up."

Jay was no longer looking at Barry, instead, now he was facing Caitlin, watching her face intently.

"Are _you_ okay?"

Caitlin wanted to laugh at that. Of course she was okay. She was alive and kicking. She was standing and running around and looking after Barry. She was perfectly fine.

But her stupid habit of biting her lip must have given her away, because now Jay was no longer in the doorway, but right in front of her, and Caitlin was no longer standing next to the desk, but she was wrapped in Jay's firm embrace.

And, for the first time in a long time, Dr. Caitlin Snow let herself cry.

xXx

"Hey, I think he is waking up."

Barry squeezed his eyes shut again as the voice pierced through the silence. Slowly but surely, he became aware of other sounds. The steady beep of the heart monitor. The click of Caitlin's shoes. The creaking of a chair, probably one Cisco was sitting on.

Pain. His back felt like it was on fire. His brain felt like it was slowly expanding and pressing against his skull. His shoulder protested loudly against the minute movement of his head towards the left.

"Barry?"

Slowly and painfully, Barry opened his eyes, thankful that the lights were off. He tried to speak, but his voice box did not want to cooperate. He managed to smile slightly as the concerned yet relieved faces of Caitlin and Cisco swam into his vision.

He managed a hoarse whisper, "hey."

Cisco's face broke out into a smile, and Caitlin visibly relaxed.

"You scared the crap out of us, you were gone for a long time," Cisco emphatically stated. Caitlin nodded her agreement.

"How bad is it?" Barry ventured. Almost afraid of the answer.

Caitlin's expression was unreadable. "Bad, if you didn't wake up this soon I would have been very worried."

Linda. "Linda, how is she?" Barry asked.

Cisco smiled, evidently amused at Barry's immediate concern for Linda, "Linda is fine, she is staying out with some friends in Coast City."

Barry nodded, well, as much as he could nod with his neck brace on, satisfied.

His stomach made a dark churn.

"Zoom?" He felt his voice strain at the word.

Caitlin's face fell, and she looked to Cisco for assistance.

"Let's worry about Zoom when you are up and about, okay?" Cisco gently advised, his hand landing on Barry's knee.

Barry did not feel it. Come to think about it, he did not feel anything. It was as if his legs were not even there. His heart rate picked up in anticipation as he leaned forward, tracing his palms against his thighs.

"Oh no, you are staying put." Caitlin ordered, gently pressing against his uninjured shoulder.

"Yeah, you'll get your ass kicked." Cisco joined in.

Barry's mind went completely blank, and his heart sank through the floor.

"No, guys, I can't feel my legs."

Cisco and Caitlin paused.

Barry looked up at them again, fear painted on his features, "I _can't feel my legs._ "


	4. Broken

**Hey Guys! Thank you for all the reviews lovely reviews and suggestions. I hear what you are saying, and Iris and Joe will feature more heavily in this story beginning at the end of this chapter, there are just some character moments that I felt that I had to sort out between Barry and Caitlin. Also, don't count on me always updating so often, I just have a lot of time on my hands right now. I figured that while I have time to update, I will update as much as possible, so you guys will have something to read when reality beckons for me. Well, I guess that is all I had to say. Enjoy!**

 **Last Time:**

 _"Let's worry about Zoom when you are up and about, okay?" Cisco gently advised, his hand landing on Barry's knee._

 _Barry did not feel it. Come to think about it, he did not feel anything. It was as if his legs were not even there. His heart rate picked up in anticipation as he leaned forward, tracing his palms against his thighs._

 _"Oh no, you are staying put." Caitlin ordered, gently pressing against his uninjured shoulder._

 _"Yeah, you'll get your ass kicked." Cisco joined in._

 _Barry's mind went completely blank, and his heart sank through the floor._

 _"No, guys, I can't feel my legs."_

 _Cisco and Caitlin paused._

 _Barry looked up at them again, fear painted on his features, "I can't feel my legs."_

xXx

Caitlin's heart sank as she saw the pain, confusion and fear all wrestling for a prominent position on Barry's face. She, for once, had no idea what to say. She _always_ knew what to say, especially in medical situations such as this one.

 _But not quite like this one,_ alittle voice in her head reminded her. This was Barry Allen they were dealing with. Not some random patient like when she worked as an actual medical doctor before Dr. Wells, _Eobard Thawne_ , had heard of her and hired her. This was her friend, friend of her best friend, and best friend of Iris West, the woman for whom she had the world's respect.

Signs of Barry going into shock startled her out of her spinning thoughts. She had to act, and quickly. Cisco ran off to fetch who knows what. Lifting Barry's bed into a half-sitting position, easing his heavy breathing, she took him by the shoulders and looked deeply into his eyes, trying to get his attention.

"Barry. Barry, can you hear me? It's okay, it's gonna be okay. Barry."

Barry did not respond, he just stared at his legs, hyperventilating and squeezing his thighs, his hands shaking and eyes wild. Caitlin lightly slapped his cheek, snapping him out of it.

"Barry."

Barry looked at Caitlin, his emerald eyes wide and filled with fear. Slowly, the fear in his eyes dissipated, replaced instead with dread and realisation.

"Zoom broke my back, didn't he?"

Caitlin nodded slowly, slightly relieved that she did not have to tell him herself.

Barry flopped back against the bed, wincing slightly as a sharp pain radiated through his shoulder. Caitlin was immediately on alert. "Careful with that." She warned weakly, not really sure what good that warning would do.

At least it earned her a chuckle.

"How bad is it?" Barry eventually ventured, the look in his eyes telling her that she should spare no detail.

Caitlin sighed. She seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. She sat down next to Barry's bed and stared at her hands, mulling over her words.

"It, is bad..." She finally managed, "the MRI we took shows a complete dislocation from the T12 to L1 vertebrae in the thoracolumbar junction. It...it means that you have complete paraplegia from the waist down."

Barry nodded, closing his eyes, "Prognosis?"

Caitlin was amazed at how Barry could go from a hyperventilating mess to a calm patient that almost resembled a fellow doctor in a matter of minutes. Perhaps that was the cop side of him taking over. Or the forensic scientist side. It could be either one. She paused a long time, not knowing how to broach the subject of his speed. She decided to take the medical approach.

"There is little to no chance that you will ever regain feeling or motion in your legs."

She waited with baited breath, watching his face for any change.

There was none.

"Even with my speed healing?"

Caitlin looked at her hands again, once more at a complete loss for words. Barry frowned when he received no response. He opened his eyes.

"Caitlin?"

Biting her lower lip, Caitlin looked Barry straight in the eye, "You...don't have your speed...anymore, Barry."

This time it was Barry's turn to sigh. He slowly leaned his head back against the pillow, closing his eyes once more. Caitlin heard shuffling just as Barry's lip began to tremble slightly. She looked up at the door to see Cisco, who put a soda and straw on the table, evidently for Barry's shock, scurry away from the med bay and out of the cortex. She refocused her attention on Barry, who had by now seemed to calm down again.

Barry struggled to keep the shakiness out of his voice, "Is there any way to get it back?"

Caitlin shook her head, struggling to keep her rapidly watering eyes in check. "Barry, I tried everything, believe me. Anything that could have been tested, I tested, every simulation I could have run, I have run it. Not only was your speed stolen, but your genome was damaged, rendering you incompatible with the Speedforce. Every test and simulation that I ran clearly indicated that any attempt to get your speed back can and would be fatal. I am so sorry Barry. I am really so, so sorry..."

"Cait, it is _not your fault_. Stop apologising!"

Caitlin's head shot up, shocked at Barry's sharp tone. His eyes were now pleading with her, begging her.

"Please don't blame yourself Cait. Not for this." He whispered, shaking his head as much as he possibly could with his neck brace in the way.

She was suddenly aware of a warm trickle on her cheek. Caitlin cursed herself for breaking down in front of Barry. She was his _doctor. She_ should be comforting _him_ , telling _him_ off for unwarranted blame upon himself, and not the other way around. She was fine. She was the one that was up and running around. She was not the one who had just heard that basically everything they held dear in their life was now no longer an option.

And then she felt Barry take her hand in his and that made the guilt in her chest expand exponentially.

"This should be the other way around." Caitlin asserted.

Barry shook his head, "No, Cait. This is okay. I was stupid. I deserve this."

Now it was Caitlin's turn to do some scolding.

"Barry Allen, you have got no right to say or think that. You are the most heroic, honest, brave and kind person I know. You were not stupid, you were forced into a situation that you could not easily get out of. If anything, this is all on Harry for pushing us into this. Never blame yourself Barry, or I will personally make sure that you will never ever ever be able to access Netflix ever again. And I have contacts that are perfectly capable of arranging that." Those contacts being Felicity. She would certainly take Caitlin's side in this argument.

The last bit was intended as a joke, but Caitlin was thoroughly serious. Barry cowered a bit under her icy gaze, before looking again at his useless legs.

"Yeah."

Caitlin watched Barry. His eyelids were getting heavier, and his breathing a bit more laboured. Of course, spinal injury. And a very emotionally taxing sparring match. It would be almost a bit too much for anyone on their first day awake after a three-week coma. Caitlin's gaze softened as she lowered Barry's bed a bit into a reclining position.

"Get some sleep, Dr. Allen" Caitlin suggested gently, calling Barry on his proper title for the first time since they had met.

Barry just hummed in response, his eyes already fluttering shut.

Caitlin smiled at his peaceful face and turned off the light. Just as she turned to leave, her heart swelled at the realisation that should have come weeks ago.

 _He was alive._

xXx

Joe was in the precinct when he received the call. To be fair, it was the first time that he received a call that Barry had woken up when Barry woke up from a coma. Not that it meant much, the last coma was his first one, and he woke up practically superhuman.

This time Barry had woken up broken.

Joe wasted no time asking for the rest of the day off and rushing to the elevators to pick up Iris, running into detective Spivot on the way.

"Joe, hey! Um..." Patty started.

"Sorry partner, I have to go, it's about Barry," Joe explained hurriedly, almost leaping into the elevator with excited urgency.

Patty seemed to misinterpret the urgency on his face, "Oh! Is...is he?"

Joe shook his head, almost chuckling to himself. His boy was _awake_ , "No, he's not. It is fine. I will fill you in later, detective. Don't worry."

Patty breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, oh okay. Go, fill me in tomorrow, Sir."

"You bet detective," And with that, the elevator doors closed and Joe was on his way to get his baby girl. Iris was going to be so happy.

xXx

Iris felt guilty as she pounded away on another article, trying to push all of the memories of another time out of her head. She could not understand why she was seeing these things: her own thoughts about Barry that never happened, a worry she never felt about her father, being called to the waterfront for some ambiguous reason. Her confession.

The more and more she tried to get rid of those thoughts, _memories,_ the more and more they pushed themselves into her head. The more and more they pushed themselves into her head, the more and more she realised something.

 _She loved Barry Allen._

In so many more ways than one, she loved Barry. And she felt confused, hurt and somehow _betrayed_ by herself for not realising this earlier, for breaking Barry's heart when he confessed more than once to his complicated feelings for her.

And now she was too late. Barry fell in love with Patty. Iris really liked her, seriously, she did. As far as she could see, she was smart, funny and sweet and everything that Barry Allen deserved.

In some twisted way, she felt the universe was paying her back for being with Eddie while Barry pined after her.

She shook her head. She was being silly. She had truly loved Eddie, and Eddie had loved her. Barry respected that no matter what. And now Eddie was gone.

 _Screw the future._

It was audible. Practically tangible. Eddie's voice. Iris shook her head, she was hearing things. It was amazing what a guilty conscience could do.

"Hey baby."

Iris looked up at her father, her face breaking out into a grin when she saw the expression on Joe's face.

"He is awake?"

Joe nodded, extending his arm for Iris to link through, "Let's go see him."

Slowly but surely, the guilt in her heart dissipated. She had no time to feel guilty. The long road to recovery was just beginning.

 **That's all folks! Remember, if you have any suggestions for me or constructive criticism, please post a review. If you have any requests for a one shot perhaps, please pm me. I would love to hear your thoughts. Take care and God bless!**


	5. The Govfriendapist

**Last time:**

 _"He is awake?"_

 _Joe nodded, extending his arm for Iris to link through, "Let's go see him."_

 _Slowly but surely, the guilt in her heart dissipated. She had no time to feel guilty. The long road to recovery was just beginning._

xXx

Two weeks have passed since Barry woke up, and Iris was very sure that the new editor would fire her for missing so much work time, visiting Barry for several hours each day. Barry would protest loudly at her staying by his side so much, that he did not want to be a burden. Truth was, he needed her far more than he would admit, and Iris knew that very well. So she stayed.

"Surprisingly, once hearing the news that her foster-brother had broken his back in a car accident, Iris' new editor-in-chief had graciously given her a month's paid leave. Apparently his brother-in-law had broken his back in a skiing accident about ten years ago, and he knew from experience how taxing that could be on family members especially.

It felt bad lying to the world about Barry's condition. Having his misfortune painted as some freak accident, whilst instead he was the _hero of central city_ that had his honour and pride stolen by a heartless and soulless villain. He did not deserve the world's pity and 'oh well''s. He deserved the world's _respect._

Patty came to visit a couple of times, also being fed the lie that Barry was in a car accident and that due to his previous coma, Star Labs was the only place suitable to take care of him. The last part was not a lie. Barry had closed himself off from her, as he had from everybody. Iris wondered if that affected Patty in any way. If it did, she did not show it. She always came in every second day, chipper and with a funny new story from the precinct and pastries for everyone. She still treated Barry the same, and Iris admired that in her.

Now that she was not at work, she hired herself in the self-invented position of Govfriendapist. A combination of governess, friend and therapist. She had even taken it upon herself to go to 'nursing classes' with Caitlin. Caitlin was more than happy for the extra help. Cisco was amused, and Barry most definitely was not. But this was Iris, so he grinned and bore it, grateful to have a friend like her when he needed it most, albeit that she overdid it at times.

In fact, Barry really did need her and Caitlin constantly by his side. He could not really do much. His abdominal muscles had miraculously weakened, as did his arms, and basic tasks like leaning forward to drink something had become excruciatingly painful and exhausting, even with his regular dose of morphine. He could take morphine now, that was definitely something to get used to.

Caitlin had wanted Barry to start physical therapy sooner than later, but his injured shoulder and broken knee were still healing, so that bit would have to wait. It was not the ideal situation, but at least Barry could look forward to starting at some point. In the meantime, he had his Doctor/Nurse and Govfriendapist. He was going to have to get used to referring to Iris as that. It seemed like she would be at it for a long time coming. Iris thought she would have to come up with a cute hybrid name for Caitlin as well, in case she felt left out. Caitlin just chuckled and shook her head when the subject was broached.

Truth be told, Iris still felt incredibly guilty about everything, and was doing her best to hide it and redeem herself by being the best friend she could possibly be. She would have done this anyway, but not with this much penitent fervour. Those memories from the waterfront had subsided somewhat, but they were still in the back of her head, nagging at her. And when she went to sleep, she relived the day that never was in her dreams. It unsettled her greatly. At least she had several distractions.

Barry was steadily improving physically. Steadily, but also painfully slowly. Caitlin said it was excellent progress. Jay, who had taken on the position of Doctor's assistant, having some medical training himself, agreed with Caitlin wholeheartedly. Iris, being only a Govfriendapist and not a doctor like SnowJay, as she liked to call them (much to Cisco's dismay, Caitlin's embarrassment and Jay's amusement), had to agree. But as his Govfriendapist with a doctorate in psychology (everyone always seemed to forget that), she was immensely concerned for his mental health. True, he had shown no signs of emotional trauma or instability, but that was just that. He showed no signs. Nothing. It was like his emotions had left him. He was forcing himself to soldier on, keeping all of his fears and doubts to himself as he always did. And that was harmful, and unnaceptable. But Iris, as a qualified Govfriendapist, psychologist and, most importantly, Barry-reader, knew that she had to wait for the right moment to catch him off guard and get him to open up, that was always the best way. Attempting to get him to open up now would only force him back further into his shell, which would do more harm than good.

By the time week three had rolled around, Jay, Caitlin and Iris had unanimously decided that it would do Barry a world of good to have a change of scenery. Joe and Harry (on the rare occasions that he came out of Cisco's hijacked workroom) came to help, and they all moved Barry the great trek of twenty metres from his position in the med bay into the cortex, facing the television screens and away from the usual spot of Barry's suit. Cisco took full advantage of the television screens to stream hours of Daredevil and Jessica Jones with Barry, both of which were shows that Barry never quite had the time to watch himself.

Barry's shoulder eventually healed, and Caitlin decided that it was time to start getting Barry to sit up on his own, a process which frustrated him to no end, and Iris began to see the cracks in his carefully assembled facade begin to show. It was not time yet, she still had to wait a bit.

"Okay Barry, that's good," Joe encouraged, steadying Barry in a sitting position on the fourth day of 'therapy', letting go when Barry nodded. Trembling and torso straining, Barry managed to sit up for a whole six seconds before flopping back unceremoniously on the bed, letting out a frustrated growl.

"I can't do this."

"But you are making so much progress!" Joe admonished.

"Sat up for a whole six seconds! Someone get me a bozo button."

"Hey! Give yourself some credit, you just broke your back!" Cisco piped up, clapping Barry on the shoulder.

"Yeah, and you started really late with therapy. You should not be so hard on yourself." Iris stated simply, arms crossed as she watched the scene unfolding before her. Caitlin had gone around to the the computers and had begun busying herself with something else.

"How long until the pain goes away?" Barry asked weakly, eyes fixed to the ceiling.

"On average, the type of pain that you are experiencing disappears after about six months. With correct treatment and therapy, we can make that time more bearable and perhaps even shorten it," Caitlin answered, direct but optimistic as always.

Barry did not skip a beat, "I am still having trouble breathing," he announced, concern evident in his voice.

Caitlin did not falter, "Totally normal with a spinal injury, it should clear up soon." she stated, resolve evolving rapidly.

And so it went, question after question after answer, neither doctor nor patient skipping a beat between the steady rhythm of encouragement and facts trumping worry.

Iris was impressed.

Finally, Barry voiced, "What are we going to do about Zoom?"

Silence.

Finally, it was Joe's turn to answer, "No sign of him since Cisco nailed him with that tranq dart."

"Yeah, and I haven't vibed since then."

"Maybe Zoom's not coming back?" Iris voiced hopefully.

"I highly doubt that." Everyone spun round to face Harry, who had now entered the cortex, evidently on a mission, "Which is why I am going to do something about it."

"What do you mean, 'go do something about it?'" Caitlin enquired.

"I need access to your breach room, and your speed cannon." Harry expounded, striding through the cortex, pausing by Barry's bed, set in a half-reclining, half-sitting position.

"Why is that?" Barry frowned.

"Because, Barry. It is time to go home."

xXx

Barry and Well's staring competition was interrupted by Joe's bland statement, "So. you show up on our earth, mess everything up, and now you want to go home? That sounds very familiar."

Cisco gestured emphatically in agreement.

Harry spun around, evidently frustrated, "Again. That was _not me_. I have to go take care of Zoom once and for all, before anyone else gets _killed_ ," Darting his eyes to Barry with that last phrase.

"How do you plan on doing that?" Barry queried.

"I will think of something. Ramon, will you escort me to the speed cannon?" Harry turned to leave.

"Nonono, you can't go through the breach." Caitlin stated, holding up her hand in a stop motion and steadily striding around the computers towards Harry.

"Yeah, he can! Jay can send people, and he also taught us how." Cisco countered.

"That is not what I mean. Look, if you can figure out how to stop Zoom on your earth, you can figure out how to do it here."

Harry frowned incredulously and put his hands on his hips. Caitlin was not backing down.

"We need you to stay here until we defeat Zoom, Dr. Wells."

Harry was seething by now. "What I need, Dr. Snow, is to get home. And I am going to do that, with or without your help."

And with that, Harry stalked out of the cortex, hands in his pockets, and out of sight.

Cisco voiced what everybody else was thinking, "What are you doing? If Harry wants to go, well, then, bye!"

"I can't do that. Like it or not, we _do_ need him."

"But why?" Iris piped up, "We have got Jay, and he knows Zoom better than anybody."

"Yes, I know. But with Barry in his current...condition, we will need all the help we can get when Zoom eventually shows up."

Everybody fell silent. Barry closed his eyes.

Without warning, Caitlin stormed out of the cortex before anyone could stop her, Jay hot on her tail.

"What's up with Caitlin?" Patty's voice carried over the room, having just walked in as Caitlin rushed past her.

"She's okay," Iris said after a moment's silence, "She was just having a bit of a bad day, that's all."

Patty did not seem to quite believe what Iris said, but she shrugged it off. "Well, now that doc's gone, who is up for some of my super-unhealthy homemade chicken noodle soup?" Patty offered, brandishing a carton filled with soup flasks

Nobody refused it, everyone was eager for a distraction from what had just transpired.

xXx

Caitlin did not slow down, she just kept walking. She decided that it was best not to shoo Jay away just yet, so she tolerated him following her for now. Jay just kept silent and fell into step with her. Eventually, they ended up in Jitters. Evidently, Jay decided, Caitlin needed a good cup of coffee

The wait in the line was not awkwardly silent, but it was not pleasant either. Jay could feel the waves of embarrassment and frustration roll off Caitlin, almost tangible. He looked up just in time to see the friendly barista graciously deal with a difficult client.

If he was not totally smitten with Caitlin (not that he would admit it anytime soon), Jay would have gone weak at the knees at the sight of such a woman. Her milk chocolate skin was smooth and glowing, her ombre hairdo fell in confident waves past her shoulders. Her twinkling eyes spoke of such merriment and zest for life, yet hid the eyes of an old woman, experienced in loss and grief. Most captivating of all, was her smile, taking over her whole face and lighting up everything around her.

"Hey Kendra!"

Clearly, Caitlin knew her. Another reason for Jay to not stare.

Kendra took a moment before recognising Caitlin, her face breaking out once again into her captivating grin.

"Hey Caitlin! How have you been? It has been so long!

Caitlin smiled sadly, "I have been better. Has Cisco contacted you lately?"

Kendra's brilliant smile faltered a bit at Cisco's name. Kendra and Cisco. Look at your feet Jay. You feet are safe to look at.

"No. I guess he was not too interested after all." Kendra finally admitted.

Caitlin paused, deep in thought.

"Kendra, do you remember our other friend that was here with us last time?"

Kendra smiled again, "The one who got Cisco to ask for my number the first time? Bart, right?"

"Barry," Caitlin corrected, "uhm...I don't really know how to say this..." Caitlin started looking up at Jay. Jay nodded to her, this Kendra woman seemed trustworthy enough

Kendra's smile faded completely, "Is...is he..."

"Dead? No." Jay reassured her, prodding Caitlin on her elbow.

Kendra looked to Caitlin.

"He, broke his back in a car accident. Cisco has been taking it very hard. He hasn't left Barry's side since it happened."

Kendra gasped, "Oh my god! I am so sorry Caitlin. Thank you for telling me, here I thought Cisco was just ignoring me."

Caitlin shook her head, smiling at Kendra, "No, he hasn't. In fact, he is quite smitten with you. He just has not had any space inside his head for anything besides worrying about Barry. I worry about them both."

Kendra nodded in understanding. "Thank you for the update, Caitlin. I really appreciate it. I will call Cisco tonight to see if he is okay."

Jay stared in wonder at Caitlin, whose face seemed to lose ten years in an instant. "Thank you Kendra. This will mean a lot to us."

Kendra smiled again, making Jay once again shift his gaze to the floor, "Will you guys be ordering anything?"

"Uhm, just two latte's. That okay Jay?"

Jay just nodded, not wanting to open his mouth and make a fool of himself.

The latte's made and ready, and further pleasantries exchanged between Kendra and Caitlin, they made their way over to a table in a corner. Now was the time for what was really important, to listen to what Caitlin had to say.

Jay waited thirty seconds for Caitlin to initiate an exchange. When she showed no signs of doing so, he began.

"Caitlin, talk to me."

Caitlin bit her lower lip. She did that a lot when she was worried, and Jay noticed that. He was pretty sure that Barry, being as observant as he was, had noticed that as well.

"I...I just didn't realise how _helpless_ Barry was before this morning. And after what I said, I, I feel like I just made things worse."

Jay took Caitlin's hand in his.

"You did not make things worse, Caitlin. If anything, you proved that you cared about Barry and everyone in that room, and that you would do anything in your power to make sure that each and every one of those people were safe."

Caitlin blushed and looked to the floor, then she turned her head once again to Jay, her eyes serious, " _How do you always know what to say?_ "

Jay smiled sadly, "I don't. I just know you. And I know that you need a good cup of coffee and a distracting conversation."

Caitlin's face brightened, "Let's do that then."

 **And that is it! Thank you for all of your support so far. In case you have not noticed, I am trying to get longer chapters out there, I just feel like it is a better quality read with more opportunity for character growth. I hear all of you SnowBarry fans, and that will happen in due course in this story in its own way. In fact, most of the pairings will run their course or at least get hinted at in the duration of this fic (I plan on making it a long one, so hold on!). I am a fan of both SnowJay and SnowBarry, as well as WestAllen (in the right setting). Thank you all once again for your wonderful support and as always, any comments or suggestions, please drop a review or pm me. Thanks again and God Bless!**


	6. Sunlight

**Hey guys! Sorry that I did not update as often as I would have liked to. As I said, things got a bit hectic. End of term and all. Well, now it's school holidays, and I will most likely be updating regularly again. To make up for my absence, here is an extra-long chapter. Enjoy!**

 **Last Time:**

 _"I can't do this."_

 _"But you are making so much progress!" Joe admonished._

 _"Sat up for a whole six seconds! Someone get me a bozo button."_

xXx

"Uno!" Iris cried out triumphantly as she slapped a blue 7 down on the deck of cards resting on Barry's lap. Barry, who still had at least eight cards in his hands, he did not know how that happened, narrowed his eyes at Iris, who just laughed it off.

"You know, Barry, you still have hope to turn this around. Unlike some of us." Iris laughed, cocking her head toward a seething Caitlin, who had managed to assemble a total of twenty cards in the duration of the game.

Jay took his turn, smiling evilly at the doctor next to him as he slipped a blue 'pick up two' card onto the deck. Caitlin threw her hands up in exasperation.

"What is the point of this game, anyway?"

Barry chuckled a little at his friend's competitiveness, drawing the attention of Iris.

 _That, doctor Snow, would be the point of the game._ Iris thought to herself triumphantly.

Caitlin grudgingly picked up her two cards and flopped back defiantly in her chair, an indignant scowl fixed on her face. Barry smiled, shaking his head. Only Caitlin could manage to be so competitive and adorable at the same time. He looked to Jay, who seemed to be appreciating this quality thoroughly as well. He knew there was something going on between them that neither of the pair were willing to admit. One part of him was happy for Caitlin, she deserved someone. Especially after Ronnie died _again._ The other part of him, the rational side, was concerned about the long-term practicality of a cross-universe relationship. What if something happened that Jay was stuck on Earth-2 forever, unable to reach Caitlin again? What if the timeline rejected a parallel personality? What would happen if he and his doppelgänger came in contact with one another? He knew that universe-hopping was not the same as time travel concerning paradoxes, but Jay just seemed too much like someone that Caitlin could lose. Barry could not allow that to happen.

Realising that Iris was looking at him, Barry snapped out of his thoughts and took his turn, plopping a colour changing card on the deck, prompting the next player to pick up four cards. He smirked as Iris begrudgingly relinquished her 'Uno' status.

Iris raised her eyebrows at Barry, "Colour"

Barry nearly facepalmed. He was getting really distracted.

"Red." He decided. He liked red a lot. And not just because the majority of his eight cards were red.

As Jay took his turn, a move which evidently allowed Caitlin to get rid of some of her cards as the latter was now bouncing in her chair in excitement, Iris let her thoughts drift to Barry. She had seen the way he looked at Caitlin and Jay, the resolve that formed in his emerald irises. Ha. Irises. She had seen the way they acted around each other too, and, as an expert Barry-reader, she knew he was concerned about Caitlin and Jay's relationship. Perhaps not for the same reasons she was, but he was concerned. And that was a good thing, Iris decided, especially when she saw how the expressions on Barry's face turned from concerned to pensive to protective.

Barry was always the protective type. Even when they were children. Especially when they were teenagers. He would warn her about guys that were maybe not good for her, and when she did not listen to him, he would keep tabs on her like a hawk, always ready to protect her from some form of emotional blow. He was no good at any form of martial arts, but whenever Iris or one of his female friends had to walk somewhere, he walked with them. Just to be safe. Always, just to be safe. And now he was taking on making sure that Caitlin and Jay were going to be okay. Just to be safe.

It was Iris' turn to be jolted out of her thoughts as Barry prodded her on her shoulder.

"Your turn. You ok?" Barry asked, his eyes boring into hers.

Iris nodded as she tossed down a yellow three, smiling at Barry. She had never been better.

xXx

Cisco was glad to be away from STAR for a while. Not that he did not want to be around his friends, he just did not really have time to himself to process this whole thing yet, and that was something he desperately needed. Besides, Kendra called him. He had a sneaking suspicion that Caitlin had something to do with that. He was not complaining. He was actually pretty worried that he had mucked up that relationship for good. Evidently not.

Cisco ran his hands through his hair one more time before knocking on Kendra's door. She had invited him over for lunch. While he did think it was unconventional, he also knew that she probably had a reason for doing this. He was happy to take things slow with Kendra. She was a great girl, and if he could not have her as his girlfriend straight away, he was more than happy to have her as a friend. She seemed like the kind of person that was capable of doing that.

He waited a whole twenty seconds before a flustered Kendra opened the door, a broad smile lighting her face as soon as she saw Cisco. Her ponytail bounced as she skipped backwards, inviting Cisco in.

"Sorry for the mess, I was a bit rushed today." Kendra apologised as she closed the door.

 _What mess?_ Cisco thought to himself as he surveyed the living room, decorated with middle eastern throw cushions and rugs, an ankh hanging next to a cross on the wall above the fireplace. Besides the array of open textbooks and sprawled notes on one end of the coffee table, the place was impeccably neat.

"That's okay." Cisco replied absentmindedly as he took in the room, his eyes landing on the Bible and Q'uran stacked next to one another on one of the little side tables. He took note of that.

Kendra hurriedly began closing her textbooks and neatly stacking her notes in an attempt to make the coffee table a bit more presentable.

"To be honest, I almost forgot about today. I only remembered when I was at my class. I was going to cook something, but I guess takeout would have been a bit more appropriate in the first place. I hope you like sushi." Kendra spoke up, her task of neatening the coffee table now complete.

Cisco chuckled, "Like it? I love it."

Cisco wanted to swoon as Kendra's face immediately brightened into that brilliant grin of hers. She skipped off into the kitchen, motioning for Cisco to follow. Follow Cisco did, his eye catching some of the titles of the textbooks.

"So, you are studying medicine?" Cisco inquired, trying not to gape in amazement at the pure middle-easternness of Kendra's kitchen. Evidently she had a thing with the middle east.

Kendra smiled at Cisco as she set the table, "Yes. Well, yes and no."

Cisco cocked his head, his interest piqued.

"I am currently being trained as a nurse." Kendra explained, dishing the takeout into the plates, "My brother studied medicine. I really wanted to be a doctor, but I could not afford the tuition. So I inherited his textbooks and I am currently studying in my own time."

Cisco nodded, impressed.

"Where is your brother now?"

Kendra smiled, "He is back in Egypt. We grew up there. We do not speak much, but from what I last heard he is doing very well, as well as his practice."

Ah. So that is why everything is so middle-easterny.

"And you? Do you have any siblings?" Kendra asked as they both sat down to eat.

Cisco did not particularly want to answer, but he did not want to make the conversation awkward either.

"One brother. Dante. The starving musician type." Cisco replied, trying his best to mask the bitterness in his tone.

Kendra, however, being the perceptive little hawk she was, picked up on that immediately.

"I have a theory." Kendra stated, poking at a piece of sushi innocently.

Cisco raised his eyebrow, "And what would that be?"

"You don't want to talk about your family," Kendra smirked, popping the piece into her mouth and chewing daintily.

Cisco put his hand under his chin, leaning toward her, "uh huh. And what gave you that idea?"

Kendra shrugged innocently, "Just a hunch. But I am not going to change the subject. That is totally up to you."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Then, why Barista? Why not a nurse or a therapist?"

Kendra smiled, "Barista is the only job that a) Provides flexible hours b) provides enough funds to cover my nursing classes and, c) I am very good at making coffee."

"I am not going to argue with that," Cisco agreed, "You make a mean latte."

Kendra turned her head down to the table and smiled. Cisco smirked to himself as he watched her blush slightly at his compliment.

The conversation turned to other things, such as childhood memories, jobs, favourite movies, comic books and fandoms. The food was long gone and the dishes washed by the time they had migrated to the living room. The conversation turned deeper as the hours wore on. By sunset, Cisco was amazed at just how good a listener Kendra was. They discussed philosophy, religion, science and grandparent's cooking. Eventually, at some point in the conversation, Kendra asked how Barry was.

At first Cisco was cautious, but then he remembered who he had spent the past few hours with. So he replied honestly. He told her how Barry was struggling, but slowly recovering. He told her how he was worried about the fact that Barry had seemed to lose all semblance of emotion. He told her he was scared Barry would never be the same, that he would have lost his best friend forever.

And Kendra listened. Cisco was grateful for that.

xXx

The game of Uno successfully concluded, with Barry victorious and Caitlin begging for a rematch, Iris decided it was time to go take care of some things.

Those some things being Dr. Allen senior.

When Barry was first in the coma, nobody thought about calling anybody for the first week. The next two weeks Iris tried and failed every day to get a hold of Henry. When Barry finally woke up, everything was so crazy again. Yesterday, she finally managed to reach him. She did not explain everything over the phone. She just said that Barry was badly injured and that she had to explain everything to Henry in person. Henry understood, and agreed to meet Iris at Jitters before going to see Barry.

Iris took a deep breath before hailing a cab. It was just Henry. Barry's dad. It could not be that bad, right? To be honest, she did not really know Henry would react to the news. But she did know this: Barry had the two most amazing dads in the world. He needed both of them right now.

Iris paused outside the glass doors of Jitters when she saw Henry sitting at the table on the far end, nervously drumming his fingers against the table as he tried to distract himself with a newspaper. Iris was suddenly floored at how much Barry actually resembled his father. Iris swallowed and pushed through the doors, Henry immediately looking up at her.

"Iris" Henry smiled, getting up to greet Iris with a hug, which she happily returned.

"Sit down?" Henry asked, motioning to the seat across from his. Iris nodded, and the two silently took their seats.

Iris looked down at her hands and bit her lip before facing Henry. She did not know where to start. Luckily, Henry was a patient man, and Iris was grateful for that.

"Have you seen the news lately? Well, with lately I mean within the past six weeks."

Henry shook his head, "Sorry Iris, I was stranded in the mountains for two months. Not much television up there."

Iris nodded. Henry seemed to be taken aback at her odd reaction. Usually Iris would giggle at something like that.

"Well...There is, well, was a new speedster in town. He goes by Zoom. He's the bad guy. Long story short, the Flash went up against him. He was a lot bigger, stronger and faster so, Barry lost."

Henry patiently waited for Iris to continue.

Iris cursed the wells that were forming behind her eyes.

"Zoom...hurt him...rea-really bad..." Iris's voice broke with emotion, Henry reached over to take Iris's hand, encouraging her to continue, "He...broke his back."

Henry's eyes widened, "How...how bad..?"

Iris shook her head, swallowing the tears that were threatening to fall, "Bad. He...Caitlin says he will never walk again."

Henry buried his face in his hands. Iris just folded hers, trying her best not to break down in front of him.

Henry ran his hands across his face, fixing his gaze on the ceiling.

"That boy has been through so much. He does not deserve _this."_

Iris kept silent, knowing that nothing she could say would be able to help the situation.

Henry sighed, "Has he started physical therapy?"

"Only last week, since he had other injuries that had to heal before he could begin."

Henry nodded in understanding.

"Who is doing the therapy?"

"Caitlin and her assistant, Jay, but Caitlin is looking to hire a professional therapist."

Henry shook his head, "Tell her not to bother. I will do it."

Iris looked at Henry, "Are you sure?"

Henry nodded, "As sure as I will ever be. Now, can we please go and see my son?"

Iris nodded, "Of course."

The pair stood up to leave. Iris mirrored Henry's smile as she took the arm he offered her.

"You ready?" Iris asked, watching Henry's face for any signs of well...anything.

Henry smiled and covered her hand with his, "Always, Iris, always."

And with that, they marched out of the restaurant and into the street to hail a cab.

xXx

"Are you sure about this Caitlin?"

"Of course. It is about time. Cisco! Could you bring the belt please?" Caitlin called, already in the process of rolling Barry on his side. Harry had totally disappeared into his workroom again, and was totally oblivious to what was happening. Joe had to go back to the precinct, something about a homicide and stolen chemicals. But Caitlin wanted to get this done now. Barry was in that bed for far too long already. They had successfully managed to avoid pressure sores or any related complications, but staying in one place for so long could only have adverse effects on one's psyche.

Jay returned with the chair just as Caitlin got Barry onto his side and was pulling the covers out of the way.

"You should have asked me for help before you did that." Jay scolded lightly, concerned that Caitlin might have strained herself. Yes, Barry had lost a considerable amount of weight, but he was still a strongly built young man with a sturdy bone structure, and as a result that made him quite heavy.

"He is not as heavy as you think, Jay. I can manage," Caitlin returned with a smile. Barry rolled his eyes. If anyone had told him a year ago that his friends would be arguing about whether or not Caitlin should move Barry's useless and broken body alone he would have laughed in their faces and sped off. What a wonderful dickhead time could be.

Cisco came running in with the belt just in time to break up the argument between Jay and Caitlin. Caitlin took the belt and flung it over her shoulder. She turned once again toward the bed to flip Barry up into a sitting position on the bed's edge, sparking another lecture from Jay.

"Caitlin, this is not a good idea. If you would please let me help..." Jay moved forward to the bed, stopped by Cisco's hand on his bicep.

"Let it go, dude, she knows what she is doing."

Jay folded his arms and took a step back, evidently not convinced and ready to step in at a moment's notice. Barry rolled his eyes at the scene. He seemed to be doing a lot of eye rolling lately.

"Okay, Barry, so I am going to support your shoulder while I swing your legs over the side of the bed, and at the same time push you up into a sitting position. Keep your arm at your side and ready to hold onto something once you are up, okay?" Caitlin instructed, her hands already on his shoulder and under the bend of his knees. Barry nodded.

"Okay then. On my three, one, two, three!"

Before he knew it, Barry was sitting on the side of the bed, gripping the edge for dear life.

He was sitting up.

That was definitely a strange sensation.

He looked up to Caitlin, who had by now taken the belt from her shoulders and was wrapping it around Barry's torso.

"Okay, so I am going to stand you up now," Caitlin said, tightening the buckle and slipping her fingers between it and Barry to ensure that she would have a good grip, "I will lock your knees against mine, and then I will 'walk' you over the the chair and then set you down. All you have to do is hold onto my shoulders. Okay?"

Barry nodded. It was now or never.

Jay stood closer to Caitlin and Barry, not in the way of what was happening, but just in the right place so that if anything went wrong, he could intervene.

Caitlin looked to Barry, who took a deep breath and nodded.

Barry decided that it was the weirdest sensation to be picked up and 'walked' by someone, especially if you could not feel your legs. He felt like he was floating, but falling at the same time. It was weird. As promised, Caitlin locked her knees with his. She gave him a slight warning that they were going to start moving, but nothing prepared him for that floating/falling feeling as he grabbed on to her shoulders and held on for dear life.

Caitlin had no trouble at all moving Barry from the bed to the chair. She could not see Barry's face, and she was glad for it, because the look Cisco was giving her clearly spoke that Barry was in sheer terror at the moment, as did the death grip on her shoulders. Jay had noticed this as well, and came closer to stand behind Barry, holding onto the belt, steadying Barry furtherl. Barry visibly relaxed at the extra support, and Caitlin was able to slowly lower him down into his chair. Once he was seated, Caitlin let out a breath she did not know she had been holding. Barry was breathing heavily, holding the armrests in a death grip.

"Hey man! You did it!" Cisco congratulated, skipping over and giving Barry a clap on the back.

Barry only nodded, clearly still recovering. Caitlin removed the belt, pleased that the whole thing went off without a hitch. Well, mostly. Caitlin threw a triumphant look at Jay, who just chuckled and shook his head.

Cisco spared a glance at his phone, which had just vibrated with an incoming message. Evidently trying to hide the smile that was creeping up onto his face, he volunteered: "Wanna get some sunlight?"

Barry nodded enthusiastically, "Hell yeah."

Caitlin could not agree more with Cisco's suggestion. Barry was literally as white as a sheet. He was light-skinned to begin with, but she had never seen him this, well, _pasty._ Jay immediately went to push the chair, and Caitlin grabbed one of the many sweatshirts on the table next to them and handed it to Barry, who immediately pulled it on, albeit with a little help from Caitlin. Not only was an exposed torso not a good idea in the sun at this time, Barry was going outside, and he might as well be presentable.

Caitlin was slowly growing concerned as the wheeled through STAR labs toward the exit, Barry's breathing was quickly getting laboured, and he was showing signs of fatigue. She looked to Cisco, who clearly had a mission going on his mind, and then to Jay, who just shook his head and gave her a reassuring smile. She just sighed and walked on. It was sunlight. Sunlight will be good for Barry. So what if he is a little tired?

The long walk to freedom was worth it when they emerged from STAR lab's famous front revolving doors. Barry spread his arms and lifted his face to the sky with his eyes closed, letting the sunlight soak into his vitamin-D starved skin, a contented sigh escaping his lips. Caitlin smiled and mirrored his gesture, wondering how many times people take sunlight for granted.

Cisco took over the chair and wheeled Barry closer to the benches, where the sun was slightly warmer and more golden. Barry shut his eyes again, just soaking up the fresh outside air. Caitlin was startled out of her observation as Cisco began dragging her and Jay away from Barry, and looked up just in time to see the reason for Cisco's odd behaviour.

Walking toward them, a concerned, yet relieved look painted on his face, was Dr. Henry Allen, with Iris looking on from the sidelines.

Caitlin tried to make as little noise as possible as she shuffled away, giving the father and son their space. When she was sure she would not disturb Barry from his sun-induced trance, she jogged over to Iris.

"You reached him?"

Iris nodded, "Yeah."

"How did he take the news?"

Iris sighed, "It was...okay. He is understandably quite upset that this had to happen to Barry. He believes, as do I, that Barry has been through far too much in life."

Caitlin nodded somberly in agreement, but brightened up as she saw Henry draw nearer to Barry, "Well, this visit is just what the doctor, or well, Govriendapist, ordered."

Iris smiled at that, "Well, I could not agree more, Doctor Snow."

Barry was suddenly aware that he was alone. He opened his eyes, searching frantically for Caitlin. He was about to call out when he saw his father sitting on the bench next to him.

"Keep your head down, slugger."

Barry's face broke into a teary smile, which only grew as Henry moved to give his son a hug.

 **Okay, so in my story Kendra is not a reincarnated Egyptian priestess. I just felt that it would complicate things unnecessarily. She will, however, still be hawkgirl. Some of you comic fans may be able to guess how that will be able to work out. Also, the whole Bible and Q'uran thing. I have never read the Q'uran, but my grandfather owns one, and he reads both that and his Bible in order to better understand the beliefs of different religions. He is an outspoken Christian, as I am. Perhaps one day I will be on the level to be able to do that as well. But not yet. Maybe one day. But I digress. I really felt like Cisco and Kendra would be amazing together. Hopefully, this relationship will last a long time. If you guys have any suggestions, requests, or one shots that you would like to see, please review and/or pm me. Thank you and God Bless! P.S. Please forgive me if I spelt Q'uran wrong, and please correct me! I do not want to offend anyone :).**


	7. Storm

**Aand here's another chapter! Thank you for all the support this story has received so far. Once again, if you have any requests for what you want to see happen in this story, please let me know! All I own is the plot and the two teenagers in the beginning of the chapter. Please enjoy!**

 **Last Time:**

 _Barry was suddenly aware that he was alone. He opened his eyes, searching frantically for Caitlin. He was about to call out when he saw his father sitting on the bench next to him._

" _Keep your head down, slugger."_

 _Barry's face broke into a teary smile, which only grew as Henry moved to give his son a hug._

xXx

Central City was surprisingly quiet on the metahuman front since the Flash's defeat at the hands of Zoom, as if it were mourning the apparent loss of their hero. Here and there there would be a small situation, but nothing that the police could not handle with Cisco's help. He was, after all, the scientific advisor for the metahuman taskforce.

Speaking of which, in light of the recent developments, the metahuman taskforce has seen a spike in recruitment. Joe was incredibly grateful for this, and Cisco had begun putting together a training programme for the taskforce, seeing that metahuman threats were on a level of their own.

Members of the public had also joined Cisco in the effort of making Central a safer place, donating time and effort in any way possible. Cisco was floored when eighty of the graduate engineering students at Central City college put forward the idea to start a think tank to further the development of anti-meta weapons and containment systems. Members of high society provided funding for the development of these weapons. One benefactor in particular proposed building a training facility for those metahumans who wanted to do good and learn how to use their powers.

In short, The Flash's defeat led Central City to realise that they could not take their heroes for granted, and that they had to stand up and do something to quell the threats.

Iris West suddenly had a whole lot more to write about than when the Flash was active.

It was pretty odd.

But what really started getting at her was those who said the Flash was dead. And what actually killed her inside was that, in a sense, they were right.

Bartholomew Henry Allen was still alive. He was fighting to recover, he was accepting who he was. The Flash, however, was long gone. Iris had watched that part of him go out behind Barry's eyes, slowly and painfully. Barry was still here, but that part of him was long dead, and it was beginning to show.

But Iris wrote to refute those people anyway. She wrote to keep that part of Barry alive, to remind him that all was not lost. It brought her back to a time where, once before, she had also wrote to save her best friend. She wrote that, although the Flash may never run again, his idealogy, his influence and his hope will live on. He started a legacy, a legacy that will last for centuries.

Iris skimmed over her article one more time before posting it to her blog and sending a copy off to her editor, skeptical that he would print it. Yes, her new editor was good, but he had very little patience for fluff pieces. Hence the posting to her blog, which has by now evolved to include the heroics of the common man and the specifics of new metahumans.

Barry had recovered steadily over the past few weeks, responding well to the physical therapy. Iris had considered beginning to work from home, but eventually felt that it would be too much for Barry to handle, considering how much he hated being a burden to others. That hatred of being a burden certainly translated itself into Barry's effort to recover. It was remarkable, how Barry had gone from helpless and despondent to determined and hardworking in a matter of days. Well, it was probably the effect of having your Dad as your physical therapist.

Henry was pleased at the progress that his son was making. He had hired a professional therapist as a secondary opinion, as well as a stand-in for the days he could not make it in to therapy. Henry had gotten a job as a doctor in Central City, his wrongful accusation met with an overload of sympathy. Iris liked the therapist, she was nice, respectful, good natured, and did not stand for nonsense of any kind.

"West!"

Iris looked up as the voice of her editor broke her thoughts.

"There was a shooting downtown, apparently a metahuman was also involved."

"On it!" Iris responded, grabbing her coat and purse and hurrying through the door, giving a quick smile to Linda whom she passed on her way. She wondered how Linda was holding up. She had just returned from Coast City yesterday, and she did not hear about Barry yet. Maybe Iris should tell her this afternoon.

Iris rushed to the curb and hailed a cab, smiling at the cabbie as she hopped in.

"Where to?"

"Downtown."

"There was a shooting, miss."

"I am a reporter, sir."

The cabbie smiled and shook his head, "Very well then, downtown it is."

By the time they had arrived, cops were already all over the scene, lining the yellow tape everywhere. Iris frowned and looked down to the tarmac as she felt her feet slide just a little bit.

Ice.

Definitely a metahuman, it was not _that_ cold yet.

She immediately set to work, interviewing anything that moved. At first, she did not glean much, but then she saw a pair of teenage girls shivering under an orange shock blanket, and made a beeline toward them.

"Hey, I'm Iris," Iris introduced benignly, extending her hand with a smile.

The darker haired one of the two, apparently the most outgoing, extended her hand in return.

"I am Zoe, this is my friend Katelyn," Zoe introduced, motioning to the skinny blonde girl next to her. The latter smiled gingerly, revealing braces on her teeth. Iris noted the contrast they were, Zoe being short and muscular with olive skin and brown hair, whilst Katelyn was skinny and lanky, with the blondest of blonde hair she had ever seen in her life.

"Is it okay if I ask you a few questions?"

Katelyn's mouth formed a thin line as she looked to the floor, Zoe, however, was more than happy to agree. Apparently that was another contrast between the two.

"I have to get this out the way first. Are you two friends?" Iris inquired. She did not know why she asked that question, but in a way it proved a harmless method to start an exchange.

Zoe nodded furiously as Katelyn gave a tight-lipped smile, clearly not willing to speak at all, "Yes, for like, forever."

Katelyn nodded her agreement.

Iris smiled, "Could you tell me what happened here?"

Zoe looked up to the sky for a second, as if trying to find the best way to put what happened into words. Eventually, she began.

"Well, Katelyn and I wanted to find out..."

Katelyn gave Zoe a look.

Zoe rolled her eyes, "Okay, _I_ wanted to find out a bit more about metahumans, so I _dragged_ Katelyn along to the bank to talk to some people, because it has been the central location for a majority of the metahuman attacks in the past. Happy now?" Zoe spilled out, shooting her last comment as she looked to Katelyn, who simply nodded in affirmation.

"Okay, so, what happened next?" Iris prodded.

Zoe clapped her hands together. Clearly she was somewhat of a storyteller.

"Well, we came to the front desk lady. A very nice lady, her name was Mira. I digress. She told us that about two years ago, just after the particle accelerator exploded, a man came in telling her that there was a robbery. She said that all the windows flew in and there was a hurricane inside! I thought it was freaking awesome. I asked her about the other attack, where some meta made everybody crazy. She pointed to Jeff , the security guard, who was also really nice by the way, saying that he was the guy to talk to. So we went to talk to Jeff. We barely got to finish our question before, well, _they_ burst in."

"They?"

"Three men." Katelyn spoke up for the first time.

"Yeah, three guys. One was wearing this super colourful coat that made my eyes want to bleed, and he had this crazy spiky hair. He just started shooting at everything, the windows, the walls, the switches on his..."

"The other guys?" Iris interrupted impatiently.

"Well, the other guy was super weird. I mean, he was wearing this heavy blue parka with a woollen fuzzy hood thing over his face and these ridiculous sunglasses. Seriously? It is barely November! When the police came, he shot the road with his freeze ray thing and made it all ice over. The third guy just looked angry. He was about to do something, but then Dr. Freeze aborted the mission or something and they all split."

Iris sighed, taking in the new information. Based on the girl's description, they had the Trickster and Captain Cold on their hands, which the police and Cisco could not handle by themselves. She did not know who the third guy could be, but he also sounded like bad news.

"Do you have everything you need, Miss. West?" Zoe piped up.

"I never told you my last name." Iris stated, confused.

"There are only so many Irises that run a blog on metahumans. I am assuming that's you, right?" Zoe countered, her eyes filling with anticipation of Iris' answer.

Iris sighed, "Yes, I am that Iris."

Zoe pumped her fist in the air and whooped in excitement, turning to Katelyn, who had by now begun scanning Iris' form in mild interest, "Dude! It is _the_ Iris West! We just got interviewed by Iris West!"

Before either Katelyn or Iris could reply, the air was pierced by a loud, "ZOE!"

Iris spun round to see a stocky young man with a striking resemblance to Zoe run toward them. Iris took it as her turn to leave, just in time to hear a flustered, "Are you okay?" from the young man and an excited, "We met Iris West!" from Zoe, followed by a loud scolding that Iris did not bother to listen to or even hear as she walked away to hail a cab.

Captain Cold was on the loose. And the Trickster was with him.

xXx

"He is _what?_ " Barry asked incredulously, his arms shaking as he supported himself on the parallel bars, the therapist scolding him as he leaned backwards perhaps a little too much, her hands supporting his torso via the belt. Thank goodness she was deaf, and only communicated by lip-reading. But Iris was pretty sure that she had already figured out Barry's ex-identity, she was a pretty smart girl.

The therapist walked Barry backwards and lowered him into his chair.

"Good work today, Barry." She congratulated, her voice barely audible. Barry, however, had grown used to it, and smiled as he responded, "Thank you, Alex."

Alex nodded her bobbed head of brown hair and turned to Iris, signing, "He was a bit stronger today. If he keeps up the good work, he will be able to go home by Christmas."

"Thank you." Iris signed back with a smile as Alex turned to leave, gathering up her things and exiting the cortex.

Barry cocked his head at Iris, his mastery of ASL minimal at best.

"If every day were like today, you would be home by Christmas." Iris clarified.

Barry leaned back in his chair and ran his hands through his hair, cursing the tears that were beginning to sting his eyes. Home.

His relief was soon replaced by dread, however.

"The...the stairs..."

"We are working on it. Don't worry. We might not have a solution by Christmas, but we are figuring something out." Iris assured, her hand landing on Barry's shoulder.

"I don't want to be a burden. I don't want to be _carried._ I hate being carried." Barry lamented, shaking his head. He really did hate that feeling, because when someone carried him was when he felt truly helpless and useless and a burden. He hated that.

Iris knelt down in front of Barry, taking his hands in hers, "It is only temporary, Barry. Only until we can figure something else out. You are not a burden, Barry. You are _never_ a burden, in fact, you are the exact opposite."

Barry shook his head, extracting his hands from Iris' grasp, "I don't want people to treat me differently."

Iris smiled, "Well, _that,"_ Iris motioned to Barry's chair, standing up to her full length once more, "Is a very unrealistic expectation to have, Mr. Allen."

Barry watched her face, trying to decipher what she was trying to say.

"People are going to treat you differently. That is a fact. The difference is whether they treat you according to your capabilities or below it. There will be those that think because you have a sweet set of wheels you cannot do anything for yourself, and they are to be ignored and proven wrong. But there will be people, like me and Joe and Henry and Caitlin and Cisco, that will treat you according to what you can do. You are still, and always will be, our Barry. At the moment, you cannot climb stairs or transfer properly on your own, and we will be more than happy to assist you with that. But that which you _can_ do we will let you do yourself."

Barry sighed, shaking his head, "But what _can_ I do, Iris? Look at me! Snart and Jesse are on the loose and _I can't do anything to stop them._ "

"Barry, that is not something that you should be worrying about. The taskforce..."

"Can't do anything against Snart. Only the Flash can stop them and the Flash is dead."

"The Flash is not dead, Barry..."

"The Flash is dead, Iris! He is gone!"

Iris took a step back, startled at Barry's outburst. They just stayed there for a minute, gazes locked, Barry's breathing heavy and his nostrils flaring.

Barry's eyes darkened further, "Nothing, Iris, can bring him back."

"Barry..." Iris called as he turned his wheelchair around and stormed off, knocking into a table on the way.

"I am fine!" Barry called out just as Iris was about to ask if he was okay, wheeling out of the Cortex heading outside, passing Cisco's workroom on the way. Harry, who had heard most of the loud exchange, watched Barry struggle with the side door and eventually wheel out toward the benches.

Barry wheeled angrily through the parking lot, willing himself to dissolve or his speed to return, but mostly to dissolve into nothingness. Once he reached the chain-link fence Barry stopped and ran his hand over his face. He had really messed up.

Footsteps. Barry tensed up, not in the mood for people right now. He was just about to turn around and tell Iris to leave him the hell alone when a dark-clad figure far too large to be Iris appeared next to him. Barry did not have to look up to know that it was Harry.

Barry broke the silence first, "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you here?"

Harry considered answering with a dry, "Because Snow convinced me there was more to do."

Instead, he answered, "To apologise."

Barry scoffed, "Apologise for what? I failed you. You don't have to apologise for anything."

Harry played with his sleeve, both men still facing the chain-link fence, "No, I believe I do."

"I was the last chance to get your daughter back, and I failed. That is on me."

"No." Harry stated firmly, shaking his head, "No, it's not."

Barry looked up to face Harry, who had by now turned from the fence and was looking down at him, arms crossed and mouth set in a firm, thin line.

"It's on me. I miscalculated. I failed to inform you or the team of my true intentions or what you were truly up against and because of that..." Harry paused, running a frustrated hand through his hair before turning back to Barry again, "Because of that I have ruined another child's life in exchange for the possibility of the improbable rescue of mine. I messed up, and now you, and Jesse, are paying for it. It is why I am not fit to look you, or Joe, or even Henry in the eye."

Barry looked to the floor, before meeting Harry's eye, the latter shifting his gaze to the ground.

"That's why you wanted to leave." Barry stated more than asked.

Harry nodded sullenly, before, "I am offering you my apology. You do not have to accept it, and I most definitely do not deserve your forgiveness."

Before Barry could think of any way to respond, Harry stalked off toward the lab. The conversation was over.

Certain that he was alone, Barry balled his fists into his eyes and let the hot, rage-fuelled tears run over his shaking hands.

xXx

Joe stepped carefully into the Trickster's cell area, avoiding the icy boulders that seemed to litter the place. No one else besides Snart and Jesse had been released, evidently Mardon's plan only involved the two criminals.

"This is hail. Mardon is definitely back in town."

The pure, underlying rage intertwined in Patty's voice made Joe's blood run cold. He had heard that silent rage before, that rage that all too often slipped into Barry's voice in the last few weeks before the singularity, that rage that brought Barry far too close to becoming a killer.

"Partner?"

Patty looked up at Joe, refusing to respond to his silent question, "I am taking samples back to the lab to analyse. We need to find his location as soon as possible."

Cold, emotionless, icy.

"Spivot."

Joe's warning tone had no effect on Patty as she strode down the hallways, samples already taken. Joe took in her posture as he followed her. Her shoulders were back, her steps were mincing and her hands were balled into fists. It all spoke of a resolve to do something that could not be broken.

Joe did not like it. He did not like it at all.

Joe jogged to keep up with his partner.

"Let me come with you." Joe offered.

Patty gave him a look before striding on faster.

"Partner."

Patty stopped and turned around, her eyes turned to steel, "With all due respect, sir, there is not much you can do to help. I will be fine on my own."

And with that, Patty turned around and left Joe stopping dead in his tracks.

He did not like this. Not at all.

Joe dialled a familiar number and put his phone to his ear.

"Bar." Joe greeted as the phone was answered, if anyone could get through to Patty, it was her kinda-sorta-boyfriend, "It's about Patty."

"What...what's wrong?"

Joe tried to push the off-sounding tone of Barry's voice to the back of his head, "Something's up with her. Something bad. I have to talk to you in person."

Barry waited two beats before answering, "Okay. I'll be at STAR." He added humourlessly.

Joe couldn't suppress a chuckle at that, "I'll be over in a minute."

xXx

"So...let me get this straight. You want the Flash dead." Snart deadpanned, rolling his eyes as he had to strain to drown out the volume of the Trickster's off-key covers of well-known Christmas carols.

Mardon nodded, and eerie grin forming on his face.

Snart narrowed his eyes, "One problem with that. We will need to find him first, little red has been missing for over two months."

Mardon's face soured, "Then we find him. Wherever he is. Point is, we all want the same thing."

"Earplugs?" Snart ventured, cringing at the Trickster's unnecessarily loud, "Hey!"

"Revenge." Mardon stated dramatically, "I broke you out for a reason. You have got the smarts, I have got the motive, and him? He is just crazy."

The Trickster bowed in acceptance of the accolades before going back to dissecting a doll's head, singing his own version of Silent Night as he did so.

"And how will you go about killing a speedster? I am just curious."

"He can't be the same as he used to be," Mardon stressed, "Two months ago, before he disappeared, another speedster, dressed all in black, got to him. We have our shot."

"How do you know that speedster didn't kill him before we could get to him?"

Mardon narrowed his eyes at Snart, "He couldn't have. He is still out there, I know it. Are you in, Snart?"

Snart gave Mardon the most genuine smile he could possibly muster, "Sure."

Whatever happened, Leonard had to find Barry first.

xXx

"...it has heroes, villains, chases, escapes! True love, and heroism. Annddd, it is rated as the number one date movie of all time." Cisco dramatically elaborated, extending his hand for Kendra to take. It was their first date, and even though he had cried in front of her and they had spent a total of 103 hours together on separate occasions, he still felt the need to make a great impression.

Kendra smiled and took his hand, "Well, let's see if it lives up to expectations, then."

The last bit died out as Cisco's world was enveloped in blue, and in the centre was Kendra, floating in golden armour and sporting a pair of white wings, a mace sparkling with electricity in her right hand.

"isco! Cisco!" Cisco was jolted out of his trance. He could only stare at Kendra. How? Was she a metahuman or something?

"Are you okay?" Kendra pressed, her hands landing on Cisco's shoulders. Cisco considered lying, but spending a total of 103 hours with someone, especially someone like Kendra, you start to notice certain things, like how their face looks when they lie. Kendra was especially observant.

But Cisco nodded anyway.

Kendra was not convinced, and dragged him into the alley next to the movie house.

"Are you sure?" She tried again, taking his hand for a second time. Cisco braced himself. Nothing. Maybe that Vibe was a one-time deal.

Cisco was about to provide some incoherent answer, when he was interrupted by the click of a gun that sounded dangerously close.

"Well well well. Would you look at this. They just totally walked into this, didn't they?" Came a raspy voice.

"I certainly don't mind this one, do you?" A second voice came, followed by a large man in a ski mask who could not stop looking at Kendra.

Nope. Uh uh. You do _not_ look at Cisco's girl like that.

Before Cisco could react, the first man grabbed him by the hair and shoved the gun in his face.

"Looks like this one might get in the way, huh? Think we should take care of him?"

"I think we will manage just fine," A third voice joined the conversation. The second and third men began advancing on Kendra, who batted their hands away as they reached for her chest.

"Hands off." She growled.

"Woa, hey hey! She's a feisty one, isn't she?" The big guy commented, grabbing her hair and pulling her towards him.

"Hey! Hands off!" Cisco shouted, struggling against the first man's grip. The big guy just pulled out a knife and held it to Kendra's neck.

"How are we supposed to have fun then?" The big guy sneered, pressing the knife harder. Cisco's blood ran cold as he saw a red trickle run down Kendra's neck.

Cisco just stopped thinking. The world around him went hazy and blue, and he could swear he saw the two guys that were holding Kendra go flying as he brought up his hands.

Cisco was vaguely aware that he was screaming as he launched the guy who was holding him at least ten metres down the alley, concussive sonic waves following him. He stalked over to the man who held the knife to Kendra's neck, shaking with a new energy he did not know how to compute. He could not help himself. He just watched as the man writhed under the concussive blasts as vibrations and power just surged and surged and surged through Cisco's arms.

Cisco's ears were ringing, he could not hear anything, until Kendra's screams pierced his consciousness.

"Cisco! Stop! You are killing him!"

Cisco's body went still, still vibrating from whatever the hell had just occurred. He staggered backwards and fell to his knees, vaguely aware that Kendra had now kneeled next to him and was taking his face into her hands. All he could see was the limp body of the man he had possibly killed lying in front of him.

He killed someone. Fanscisco Ramon had killed someone. He couldn't believe his eyes when they told him that the man's chest was rising and falling with the regular rhythm of laboured breathing.

Cisco barely registered Kendra's arms around his waist as he was stood up, he was completely numb. His ears mushed the sounds around him and Kendra's soothing voice into one solid lump of continuous stimulus. By the time he had realised that Kendra had walked with him all the way to STAR Labs and into the cortex, his vision had begun to turn dark. He scarcely recognised the worried Caitlin running toward him or Barry's shock as his world went black and the ground came up to meet him.

 **Okay, so I really liked the whole Patty/Barry dynamic regarding Mardon, and I wanted to work that into the story somehow. I don't really know how yet, since Barry can't really do the faceless counselling that he did in the episode, as he is no longer the Flash. But I will figure out a way somehow. Also, I really wanted Vibe. I could not wait any longer. Shoot me. Lots of love and God Bless!**


	8. Quake

**I apologise in advance if some of the characters seem a bit, well, out of character. Enjoy!**

 **Last Time:**

 _Cisco barely registered Kendra's arms around his waist as he was stood up, he was completely numb. His ears mushed the sounds around him and Kendra's soothing voice into one solid lump of continuous stimulus. By the time he had realised that Kendra had walked with him all the way to STAR Labs and into the cortex, his vision had begun to turn dark. He scarcely recognised the worried Caitlin running toward him or Barry's shock as his world went black and the ground came up to meet him._

xXx

"What happened?" Caitlin demanded, rushing over to the fallen Cisco, who had by now begun to sport a heavy nosebleed. Barry just looked on, unable to help the situation in his current state.

Kendra was already turning Cisco into the recovery position when Caitlin kneeled next to him, checking his pulse out of habit. Caitlin looked to Kendra, her eyes begging for an explanation.

Kendra shook her head, "Stabilise now. Talk later."

Caitlin nodded her agreement, "I am fetching Jay."

"On it!" Barry called before Caitlin could run off to fetch Jay, wheeling out of the cortex at a near breakneck speed, wanting to be useful for something, the phone that he had put on his lap after his conversation with Joe clattering to the ground unnoticed.

Caitlin watched as Kendra seemed to take over, checking Cisco's airway and feeling his head for any injuries. Kendra noticed Caitlin watching her.

"I am a nurse." Kendra curtly explained. She did not feel the need to add that she was currently still in training. Caitlin nodded, still at odds with what was happening in front of her.

Jay came running not seconds later, "Barry said Cisco needed help in the Cortex, wha...Oh. I am getting the stretcher,"

Kendra and Caitlin both sat back as Jay ran off to do just that. Caitlin met Kendra's eye.

"We were mugged," Kendra began, "One of the guys held a knife to my neck, and...Cisco...he..."

Kendra was cut off by Caitlin's gasp, who only now seemed to notice the angry red line on her neck, which was still bleeding furiously.

"Hold that thought, I am getting a disinfectant. Now."

"Caitlin, that is not necessary..." Kendra gave up as Caitlin scurried away out of earshot in search of a first aid kit. Jay had just then returned with a stretcher.

"Where'd she run off to?"

"First aid kit."

Jay nodded in understanding as he eyed Kendra's neck, clearly the cause for Caitlin's mission.

Kendra ignored Jay's pointed gaze as she began to roll Cisco back onto his back. Jay took the que and lifted Cisco's ankles as Kendra took his shoulders, successfully transferring Cisco to the stretcher. Kendra and Jay had begun strapping him in when Barry wheeled back in.

"How bad is it?"

Kendra shook her head, "Not sure yet. No broken bones or anything. We just need to get him stablilised."

Barry nodded as Jay and Kendra lifted Cisco and moved him to the waiting medical gurney, which Harry, upon hearing the commotion and seeing Cisco collapse, so graciously brought before disappearing once again entirely.

Just as Kendra and Jay began Cisco's transfer to the gurney, Caitlin arrived with a first aid kit, a disgruntled Harry in tow.

"Wells, you need to help Jay. Do whatever he tells you to do. I need to tend to Kendra," Caitlin, well, Dr. Snow, ordered, dragging the aforementioned barista/nurse away from Cisco's bed. Kendra did not object to the sudden manhandling, beginning to feel toll of the loss of blood. She scooped up Barry's phone and handed it to him on the way to the chair she was being led to. Barry nodded his thanks. He did not even notice that he had dropped it.

Harry immediately protested, "Snow, you can't possibly be ser..."

He was shut up by Caitlin's icy stare, and immediately turned to assist Jay, all argument lost.

"Barry, get me a soda for Kendra. She is going into shock. Cisco's fridge is in his workroom, behind the door. It is usually fully stocked."

Barry nodded and turned to leave, first making sure to put his phone in his pocket before he wheeled out of the Cortex.

Kendra winced at the sting of the anti-septic Caitlin was applying not-so-gently. Kendra mentally filed away her approval, gentle hands make septic wounds, as her brother always used to tell her when he first began medical training. Caitlin did not even notice the tensing of Kendra's muscles as she wiped away at the wound, applying an ointment once she was finished.

"This is going to need stitches." Caitlin warned, pulling out a suture kit.

Kendra simply hummed her agreement, feeling extremely lightheaded.

Even though Caitlin had failed to apply local anaesthetic, Kendra only felt the pulling of the thread as Caitlin meticulously stitched the wound closed. She began wrapping it with a bandage once Barry reappeared with a soda and a straw, awkwardly wheeling around while trying to keep the items from falling off his lap. Caitlin smiled her thanks. Evidently they should get Barry saddlebags for his chair or something.

Kendra gratefully accepted the soda, feeling her head clear a bit as the sugar entered her system.

She smiled at Barry who was watching her anxiously, pleased that it made him relax a bit.

"Barry, right?"

Barry nodded.

"Kendra, pleased to officially meet you," Kendra offered, extending her hand in greeting.

Barry shook her hand, grateful that she did not make any mention of his paralysis or run through any of the generic 'how are you holding ups'.

"You are shorter in person, you know." Kendra commented, earning an outright laugh from Barry. She was definitely not one to tiptoe around things. He appreciated that.

Caitlin smiled briefly at the exchange, before turning again to Kendra.

"Okay, you think you could tell us what happened? Please include anything you think could or couldn't be important."

Kendra looked to her hands, "Well, I think…I think it started when we went to the movies..."

"What started?" Barry interrupted. Caitlin gave him a look. Barry innocently threw his hands in the air.

Kendra continued, "I took his hand, and he completely zoned out. He was totally unresponsive for at least a minute. When he finally responded, he looked dazed, as if he had just seen something really weird. I asked him if he was okay, and he said he was, but I could see he wasn't. So I walked with him into the alley to ask him privately. I thought all the people around us were making him freak out a bit more than he should. When I asked him again, three guys appeared. One pointed a gun at Cisco, and the other two came to me. Their intentions were...unsavoury."

Kendra paused, and Caitlin nodded, telling her to continue.

"Well, the guys started touching me, and Cisco yelled at them to stop. The bigger guy held a knife to my neck, and Cisco yelled at him again. So he cut me, making me bleed. Then...then something in Cisco snapped."

"How...how do you mean?" Barry pressed.

Kendra sighed, "Cisco...blasted them away. Like, his hands were emitting these kind of, sonic waves. He was screaming. He just screamed and screamed and would not stop hitting the guy that cut me. He was...he...Cisco killed him. He would not stop. He didn't hear me screaming until it was too late. When it was all over...he...I didn't know what to think."

Caitlin put a comforting hand on Kendra's shoulder, trying very hard to process what they had just heard. Barry ran his hands through his hair. There was nothing that anyone could say.

Just then, Joe walked in.

"You guys might not want to hear this, but there was a metahuman attack outside the theatre. Two guys were...killed...everyone alright?" Joe stopped, taking in the scene before him. Cisco was being treated by Jay and Harry in the med bay, and Caitlin and Barry were sitting by Kendra on the other end of the Cortex, Kendra sporting a heavily bandaged neck.

"We know." Caitlin stated simply, standing and helping Kendra up with her, leading her away to one of the overnight rooms.

Joe watched the pair leave, realisation slowly dawning. He turned to Barry. His face said it all.

"Two?" Barry ventured, afraid of the answer.

Joe nodded his head, "Two casualties."

Barry looked toward Cisco's prone form. It was his friend. Cisco Ramon will never willingly hurt anyone. Much less be a killer.

"I have a theory." Barry stated sullenly after a long pause.

Joe moved to the seat previously occupied by Kendra and sat down, "Shoot."

"Cisco's 'vibes' are only a subset of his powers."

Joe frowned, "How do you mean?"

"Cisco's powers are based on vibrational frequency. Kendra said that one of the muggers held a knife to her neck, and then Cisco snapped. When we are faced with a situation, adrenaline kicks in, and then,"

"You do the most obvious thing, fight or flight, using whatever is most accessible."

"Exactly. Cisco was filled with adrenaline and fear in that one moment, and his body turned to what was most accessible at that moment."

"His main set of powers..." Joe suggested.

"Yes. Sonic blasts are not really the correct term. The best bet would be synthetic vibrations, like making an earthquake wherever he pointed it." Barry elaborated.

"So you are telling me, in a moment of flight or fight, Cisco unlocked his true metahuman abilities, accidentally killing two men and maiming a third in the process?"

Barry nodded.

"Sounds good enough to me. I will handle this with the taskforce."

"What are you going to say?"

Joe put on the most innocent face he could muster, "The meta is unaccounted for, and it is highly unlikely that he will ever kill again."

Barry smiled as Joe waltzed out of the Cortex to go do just that.

Barry wheeled to the med bay, just as Harry stalked off to who-knows-where.

"What's up with him?" Barry asked Jay, who just shrugged.

"Classic Harrison, I guess. Not that he would ever admit it, but I think he has a bit of a soft spot for Cisco."

Barry smiled. "How is he?"

Jay crossed his arms, looking back to Cisco before facing Barry.

"He is...stable. There is an increased amount of electronic activity in his brain, and his hands won't stop vibrating. But he his stable. At least his nose has stopped bleeding. That is a plus."

Barry bit his lower lip, "What...happens when he wakes up?"

Jay's face fell as he shrugged his shoulders, "Who knows? Chances are slim that he will even remember the incident."

"What incident?" Patty's voice carried through the cortex.

Barry turned around, a surprised smile breaking over his face.

"Patty! What are you doing here?"

Patty gave a confused smile as she set the flasks of Jitters hot chocolate down on the table, "It is Thursday, remember?"

"Oh yeah, how could I forget?" Barry reminded himself, wheeling toward Patty who bent down to give him a peck on the lips.

"How are you?" Barry asked seriously, searching her eyes for anything to grab onto. He was extremely concerned for her after Joe spoke to him about her actions at the crime scene.

Patty gave her trademark smile, "Never better. You?"

"Getting there." Barry replied honestly.

"What happened to Cisco?" Patty exclaimed, striding up to the med bay.

"Uhm..." Jay was at a loss for words.

"Epileptic Seizure," Caitlin rescued, re-entering the Cortex at that moment, a tear-streaked Kendra in tow.

Patty gaped, "Are you serious? I never knew Cisco had epilepsy."

"Neither did we," Caitlin clarified, "It was the first time we have seen him seize. According to his possessions, it was actually his first time. He has no epilepsy medication to speak of whatsoever."

"You can just develop it? Just like that? Aren't you kinda, well, born with it?"

"Seizures are caused by abnormal electronic activity in the brain, it can develop at any time. Quite unexpectedly too."

"Speaking of which," Jay interrupted, "The activity has not gone down, it has actually worsened. His hands won't stop shaking."

Caitlin went to analyse the readings. Patty left the doctors to do their work. She turned to Kendra.

"What happened to you?"

"Cisco pulled me down with him. I cut my neck on something sharp." Kendra deadpanned, feeling her heart clench a little at the lie. It was not entirely untrue, she did cut her neck on something sharp.

Patty winced, noting the tear-streaks on Kendra's tired face. Clearly this took a lot out of her.

She extended her hand, "I'm Patty."

Kendra managed a ginger smile, "Kendra."

"I'm Barry's..." "I'm Cisco's..."

"Yeah," Kendra laughed awkwardly, Patty joining her.

"Well, uhm, you clearly need a hot chocolate more than I do so, here," Patty changed the subject, handing the barista a hot chocolate.

"Are you sure?" Kendra asked, accepting the cup.

Patty smiled, "Of course! It is not everyday you get dragged into a mess like that."

Kendra winced at the memory, "Tell me about it."

 _My boyfriend just killed someone._ Was it okay to call Cisco her boyfriend? They practically were already together, although they were not official yet. Yet being the operative word. Kendra blinked back a fresh tear as she spared a glance at Cisco's eerily still form.

Patty sensed that she struck a chord. She looked at her phone, almost sighing in relief as a message from the precinct came through.

"Well, duty calls. Nice meeting you, Kendra." Patty greeted. Kendra gave Patty a smile, "Nice meeting you too."

Patty bent down to greet Barry with a kiss, who grabbed her arm as she pulled away, "Hey, do you wanna...talk...later?"

Patty smiled gently, "Sure. I would like that."

"Okay."

Barry bit his lip nervously as he watched Patty leave.

Kendra set her hot chocolate down, "I know its not my place to ask, but, everything okay with you and Patty?"

Barry looked up to Kendra, "Oh, no its, okay, uhm. _We_ are okay, I guess but, I am not to sure if she is okay."

Kendra nodded in understanding, "I...I am going to take a bit of a walk. Caitlin?"

"Yes?"

"Is there a place where I could go? Outside?"

"Why not try Barry's spot?"

"Barry's spot?"

"Yeah. Just out the side door there is a tree with benches around it. It is pretty quiet."

Kendra nodded her thanks and walked out the cortex. Barry debated whether or not to go after her, eventually deciding that she probably needed some space.

xXx

The night was peaceful, but also tense. Everybody, including the people who usually stayed with Barry, stayed at STAR labs that night. Iris had to write about the attack, of course, but she wrote as vaguely as possible without getting into trouble or divulging any of the metahuman's powers.

The team, with the exception of Harry, had set up camp in the Cortex. Barry refused the hospital bed that had been wheeled from his STAR Labs overnight room, opting to stay in the chair in case anything happened. That lasted a whole hour before, despite being loaded with pain medication, his back got so unbelievably sore that Joe had to pick him up out of his chair and lay him on the bed, Henry pushing some pressure points to relieve the strain on Barry's back. When Barry protested that he would not be able to help lying down, Henry countered with that they had three doctors and two half-qualified nurses in the room, and that his help would ultimately prove redundant. Besides, Barry was barely lucid as it was with all the pain medication that he had to take in the evenings coursing through his system. After another half-hour of arguing, the over-tired and disoriented Barry finally fell into a fitful sleep.

The team took turns staying up and monitoring Cisco's vitals, Caitlin and Henry both concerned that the electronic activity levels were rising beyond a dangerous level.

Their fears were confirmed on Jay's shift, when Cisco began seizing.

By that time, Harry had also joined the group, and the doctors were scrambling for a solution. When the first two sedatives failed to work, Henry decided that the best course of action was to remove all nearby dangerous objects, strap Cisco down and wait it out.

It was easier said than done. Cisco's seizing grew increasingly violent as it wore on. Harry remarked that Cisco was unexpectedly strong, as the four men, all exceptionally large, struggled to keep Cisco's seizing limbs from flailing all over the place. Eventually they got Cisco strapped down, but the seizing kept getting worse, and Caitlin feared that he would die of exertion before they could find a solution to stop the seizing.

At that moment, Barry had shot awake, and, still slightly disoriented from his pain medication, tried to get up out of bed, landing up a shuddering heap on the floor as he did so. Kendra patiently coaxed him fully awake, and, with Iris' help, got him transferred into his chair.

That was when the Vibes started.

Everything around Cisco started shaking, the lights blew out and the floor shook with tremendous ferocity. Caitlin was thrown to the floor, and Barry's chair began to roll. Iris grabbed him and dragged him onto the floor with her. She could have sworn she heard a window shatter.

Then everything stilled.

Cisco had mostly stopped seizing, his muscles only twitching every now and again. Caitlin thanked her lucky stars that the monitor was still working, and noted that the electric activity in his brain had stabilised.

They all breathed a sigh of relief. Kendra slowly made her way over to Cisco, and took his hand. It was still vibrating slightly as he slowly stilled and went limp.

Caitlin ran a hand through her hair, then turned on the desk lamp, providing minimal light.

"Well Joe," Henry started, breaking the silence, "I guess we have some light bulbs to change."

xXx

"Where are we going?" Barry asked suspiciously, Joe lifting him into the passenger seat of his SUV while Iris folded up the chair, depositing it in the backseat.

" _We_ are not going anywhere. You and Iris, however, are going to Jitters to support Kendra on her first day back on the job since the Vibe. Oh, and get a cup of coffee."

"This is a bad idea." Barry stated simply, "For more reasons than one."

"Uh huh? And what would that be?" Iris inquired, hopping into the driver's seat as Joe shut Barry's door.

"Well, first of all, Cisco is still in his vibe-induced coma, I am not really someone who should be out in public at the moment and, well, just...It's a bad idea, Iris."

Iris sighed, "Barry, you have not been outside or left Cisco's side in over three days. You need a break. Besides, you need to get out in public at some point. Otherwise it will _never happen._ "

Barry sighed in resignation. Iris was right. He had not even gotten a chance to speak to Patty yet, something he felt had to happen sooner rather than later, "Okay. But not too long, okay?"

Iris winked at Barry, "No promises."

Barry groaned as Iris pulled out of the STAR Labs parking lot. This was going to be a long day.

xXx

Snart adjusted his sunglasses, fiddling with the cane at his side. He had been searching for Barry for three days now. He had showed up at the kids house, and watched it for hours, but nobody besides the cop and the girl ever came or went. Now, at a loss for whatever else to do, Snart was staking out at Jitters. He was not ready to go to STAR Labs yet, too afraid of what he might find.

Turns out, playing blind makes for the perfect renaissance option. Nobody really thinks much of it when a blind guy is staring blankly in your direction.

A scuffling movement at the door caught his eye, one of the waitresses was opening the door for the girl, Iris, and a man in a wheelchair. The kid was looking down, concentrating on steering through the door. Snart's breath hitched as the mop of hair on his head seemed far too familiar for his liking.

His heart seemed to stop as Barry looked up, his hazel eyes filled with trepidation. The kid was missing for two months. Snart thought he was at a beach somewhere, fooling around or something. Not that. Snart did not want to accept what his eyes were telling him, but with each passing second Barry's seeming dependence on Iris further confirmed the fact.

The kid was paralysed.

"Sir, you okay? Sir?" The waitress that had appeared next to him asked.

Snart could not tear his eyes away from the scene. Thank goodness for the sunglasses.

A timid hand touched his shoulder, "Sir?"

Snart gave a vague glance to the left in the direction of the waitresses voice, his eyes landing on her apron. He badly wanted to look her in the eyes and tell her no, it was not okay. Instead, he kept up his act and gave a slight nod.

"Peachy."

"Can I get you anything?"

Snart mulled over his options for a moment. He could just leave abruptly to process what he has just seen and pay a visit to STAR Labs later. Or he could stay and observe a bit longer to get an idea of just how much is actually wrong and _then_ pay a visit to STAR. He decided on the latter option.

He observed the pair find a table near the counter. The kid clearly feeling nervous. Perhaps it was his first time out in public. A snapped spine, Snart deduced. That would certainly take a while to recover from.

As the curly haired barista rushed around the counter to greet the two, enveloping Iris in a hug and giving Barry a kiss on the cheek, immediately launching into conversation, Snart idly wondered if the kid still had his speed. And, if he did, shouldn't he have healed up completely by now?

The waitress next to him shifted on her feet, reminding him of her existence.

"Yeah. Coffee. Black." Snart responded, still watching the group. He cocked his head to the side as Barry shook his head and the barista turned her head to the floor. Evidently he had just told her something she was not too keen on hearing.

Snart's coffee arrived, and he took a sip, feeling the scalding liquid forge a path through his throat. He had a lot of work to do. No matter what happened, the kid was not dying on his watch.

xXx

Patty took another long sip of the whiskey by her side as she watched the screen. Seeing nothing, she leaned back in her chair, twirling the glass in her hands, watching the liquid swirl. She was usually more of a white wine girl, but tonight she was in the mood for something a little more mind-numbing.

She chuckled bitterly. It was so easy. It seemed the easiest to appear transparent was when you had so much pain to tuck away. God forbid Barry, or Joe for that matter, ever caught on to just how much _rage_ was swirling in her soul, not unlike the whiskey in her glass at the moment.

A sharp beep startled her alert. There was a match. Patty retrieved her badge andput it back down on the table after a moment's thought, and picked up her gun instead.

She did not deserve her badge, not after what she had made up her mind to do.

 **That's all folks!**

 **Clash of the Legends: I hear what you are saying, and I think you have some pretty great suggestions. I did have a plan to incorporate Grodd into the storyline one way or another, but everything will kinda play off in its own order as the timeline/timeframe has changed quite a bit. Regarding Velocity-6/9: Last night's episode has changed my whole perspective on the speed drug. Be prepared for an interesting incorporation into the storyline :)**

 **Once again, if anyone has any constructive criticism or suggestions, don't be shy!**

 **Bye Felicias!**


	9. Fear

**Hey Guys! So sorry that I did not update in freaking _years,_ but I finally managed to finish this chapter. I am still not totally happy with it, but, work in progress, right? Between constantly rewriting this chapter (screw writer's block) and trying not to drown in my schoolwork, I did not have much time for updating. But it is here now! So sorry for not updating sooner. Please bear with me!**

 **Last time:**

" _Cisco! Stop! You are killing him!"_

 _Cisco's body went still, still vibrating from whatever the hell had just occurred. He staggered backwards and fell to his knees, vaguely aware that Kendra had now kneeled next to him and was taking his face into her hands. All he could see was the limp body of the man he had possibly killed lying in front of him._

xXx

The first thing Cisco was aware of was the bright light. Curse bright lights. They should be outlawed. Invading his eyelid space like this.

Slowly, Cisco opened his eyes. His eyes landed on a dark siluette in the doorway, facing away from him. Eventually, the dirty blonde hair came into view. Jay.

A click that sounded suspiciously like a wheelchair came from his right side. He turned his head to see Barry, currently typing on his phone with his right hand, fiddling with the wheelchair's brakes with his left.

And then everything that happened, everything he did, came crashing down on him. A shout sounded in the distance, and Barry appeared in his field of vision, green eyes awash with concern and fear.

"Cisco!"

He was hyperventilating. The bed started shaking. Why was the bed shaking? The light above his bed shattered. Jay appeared with a syringe in his hand. Without thinking, Cisco's hands shot up, and the concussive waves drove Jay into the wall.

"Cisco!"

Cisco couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. He flew out of the bed, collapsing on the shaking floor and taking his head in his hands. He had to make it stop. MAKE IT STOP.

A hand was on his shoulder.Cisco forcefully shoved the hand off and broke into a sprint, ignoring the sound of Barry's chair clattering to the ground. He had to get out of here. He was dangerous. The ground was trembling under his feet, but they carried him down the passage, a path he knew well.

"Ramon!"

Harry tried to get in the way, but was unceremoniously thrown down the hallway, tumbling as the concussive blasts pushed him back. Cisco just kept running, totally unaware of what was going on around him or what he was doing. He was dangerous. He had to get to the pipeline.

He made it to the pipeline, unlocked one of the cells and ran into it, the cell closing and locking behind him automatically. He bunched himself up into the far corner and took his head into his hands.

Make it stop. Make it stop. Make it stop.

The cell was shaking now too. Cisco wished it would bring the accelerator down on top of him.

A hiss startled him, and his eyes widened as he observed a white gas drifting through the vents of the cell. He whipped his head around to see a terrified Caitlin, trembling as she let the sedative through. Cisco tried to get up, collapsing back to the floor as the sedative began to take effect. He observed Caitlin run up to the cell and put her hands against the glass before his world went dark.

xXx

"Jay. Hey! Jay, you okay?" Barry called out, pulling himself across the floor to get closer to Jay, who was slumped against the wall with a dazed look glazing over his eyes. Barry cried out and arched his back, a sharp pain radiating through his spine from the unusual movement.

"Jay!"

Jay snapped back to alertness at the volume of Barry's shout. Without a word, Jay scrambled to his feet, righting Barry's chair in one movement. Barry's back arched again with a spasm of pain, a strangled cry escaping his lips. Jay rolled Barry onto his back and scooped him up into his arms, depositing him on Cisco's abandoned bed. Barry clenched his fist as another wave of pain shook him, his legs bouncing with uncontrollable spasms.

Before Barry knew it, Jay had injected him with something. Barry closed his eyes, bundling the sheets in his fist as he tried to block out the pain. Eventually, the pain subsided, and he opened his eyes to see that Caitlin and Harry had joined them, everyone watching him with bated breath.

Barry looked up to see that his right leg was still twitching slightly. He flopped back onto the pillow, shutting his eyes again. Shutting their worried looks out. He did not need their worry.

An inexplicable wave of dread coursed through his chest. He shot up to a sitting position, wincing as the movement produced a new pang of pain, "Cisco?"

Caitlin bit her lip, "I...he's in the pipeline."

"What?" Barry bit out perhaps too forcefully.

"He locked himself in." Caitlin explained, "He was panicking, and getting worse, so I gave him a sedative."

"You gassed him?"

"He was going to hurt himself, Barry. What else was I supposed to do?" Caitlin stopped, surprised at the sharpness of her tone.

Barry sighed, pressing his fists into his eyes.

Jay spoke up softly.

"Barry, we need to check your back. All of that movement may have hurt something..."

Barry clenched his jaw, effectively ignoring Jay's concern. He suddenly felt extremely urgent and irritated.

"Caitlin."

Caitlin looked up.

"Get me my chair, please."

"Barry, you..."

" _Get me my chair_ , Caitlin."

"Barry, you need to calm down. You hurt yourself," Caitlin chided, pushing Barry back down to the bed.

Barry shot straight back up, throwing Caitlin to the side.

"GET ME MY CHAIR!"

"BARRY!" Jay shouted, his eyes blazing. Caitlin just shook her head. "Call Joe." She mouthed.

Jay set his jaw, begrudgingly moving to do just that when Caitlin gave him a pleading look.

Barry, however, was not deterred, and was scrambling closer to the edge of the bed, paralysis forgotten.

"Barry, you are going to fall." Caitlin pleaded, slowly moving toward him. Harry neared, just in case Barry lashed out again. Barry's vision swam, urgency bursting in his chest, fear rising like bile in his throat.

"I need to see Cisco. CAITLIN GET MY CHAIR! ZOOM IS COMING!"

Barry was screaming now, his eyes wild and on fire. He pulled himself closer to the edge of the bed, panicking as he realised that his legs would not move.

"My legs are gone. MY LEGS ARE GONE!"

"No, they are not Barry. Please calm down." Caitlin pleaded, bringing her hands up to still her friend.

Barry suddenly felt cold. The events of the past year all crashed down upon him at once. He looked to Caitlin, his eyes desperate, "Caitlin...I'm so sorry. I couldn't save him."

"Barry..." 

"I couldn't save him. I couldn't save Ronnie."

"Barry..." Caitlin tried again, taking her friend's hands in hers.

Barry pulled back as if he had been burned. He did not deserve this. He did not deserve her concern, her pity, her _friendship._

"No, Caitlin. You hate me. I killed him. I killed your husband. I let Ronnie die!"

"No, Barry. It is not your fault. It is not your fault..." Caitlin pulled back hopelessly, shaking her head as tears stung her eyes.

"What could be causing him to act this way?" Harry asked, getting the restraints ready just in case.

Caitlin blinked back the tears in her eyes, "It may be what Jay gave him, but something else is at play here. Barry, no, Barry it's okay, it's okay." She soothed a shaking Barry who was attempting a second time to climb off the bed, taking his hand in hers regardless of his previous reaction to the gesture.

Barry's tear-filled eyes met Caitlin's, his breathing ragged and voice hoarse, "I killed him."

Caitlin shook her head, tracing her hand along Barry's face in spite of herself, "No, you didn't kill him. It was Ronnie's choice. He had to go."

Barry chuckled bitterly at the familiarity of that statement, until his eyes landed on Harry for the first time, widening as they did so.

"Caitlin, get back." Barry lowly ordered, pushing Caitlin behind the bed, his eyes darkening dangerously.

"Barry..." Caitlin protested.

"It's Dr. Wells, Caitlin. Get back."

"No, Barry. It's Harrison Wells from earth-2..."

"YOU KILLED MY MOTHER!"

"Barry, it's not him."

Caitlin's pleas fell on deaf ears.

"Why did you kill her? Why do you hate me?"

"Allen. I..."

"WHAT DID I DO TO YOU?"

Harry stepped closer to Barry, putting his hands out to still the young man. Barry just shuffled back to the headboard, pushing Caitlin further away from Harry. His breathing was growing increasingly erratic.

"What did I do to you?" Barry's voice was barely above a whisper.

Harry took in the sight before his eyes. The kid, yes, the kid, looked barely older than Jesse, even though he was a good seven years older. Barry was shaking now, tears streaming down his face, looking up at him with pure betrayal and, _fear._

Fear.

That was the emotion expressed the entire past five minutes. The emotion expressed by Ramon when since he woke up till when he locked himself in the pipeline. The emotion expressed by a metahuman with powers that were greatly amplified, powers reliant on vibrations, powers that could manipulate brain waves.

"Garrick! Get the restraints, now." Harry ordered Jay, who had just come running back into the cortex.

Jay paused.

"Just do it!" Harry spoke desperately, watching the fear in Barry's eyes deepen, his hands that were holding Caitlin behind him beginning to twitch.

"Snow."

"Yes?"

"We need to measure his brain activity. His brain waves may have been manipulated." Harry explained, moving closer to Caitlin. Just there he realised his mistake.

Barry's fist flew, connecting squarely with Harrison's jaw. Harry staggered backwards, surprised at the weakened young paraplegic's strength. Yet, adrenaline could accomplish anything.

"Stay away from Caitlin! I won't let you hurt her!" Barry yelled, his green eyes turning feral, his nostrils flaring.

Caitlin moved away from Barry, who grabbed her wrist with astounding force. "Stay behind me, Caitlin!"

"Barry, I need to hook you up to the brain monitor." She tried, attempting to pull her wrist from Barry's desperate grasp.

Barry just gripped harder.

"Barry."

Barry's breathing was getting shallow and laboured. Jay gently took his other wrist to restrain it to the bed, only for it to be ripped from his grasp and to be elbowed in the stomach.

"Barry. Calm down. He is not going to hurt you." Caitlin reassured him, relaxing her arm in Barry's grip, which was firm enough to cause bruising.

Barry's eyes shot to Jay, who simply moved to slowly take Barry's arm again. Barry flinched at the touch, scrambling back as far as his paralysed legs would let him, letting go of Caitlin's arm and grabbing her around the waist instead, pulling her closer to him. Holding her as if she were his last lifeline.

"Don't leave me Caitlin." He breathed, his voice small. He was reminiscent of a scared little child clinging to his mother, sitting on the bed and holding Caitlin close to him, his head buried in her stomach.

Caitlin awkwardly carded her fingers through Barry's hair, soon resembling soothing strokes.

"It's okay, Barry. We just want to hook you up to the brain monitor, okay? I am not going to leave you. Jay will get the monitor, and I will hook you up. Okay?" Caitlin suggested, her voice lowering to a soothing tone, as if she were speaking to a young child.

Barry just tightened his grip around Caitlin's waist. Caitlin looked to Jay, who silently wheeled the brain monitor closer, handing the wires to Caitlin, who stopped carding her hands through Barry's hair for just a second to fix them around his head. The trembling boy didn't move, Caitlin was still there. He did not have reason to.

"Did you reach Joe? Caitlin asked, having successfully applied the wires around Barry's head.

Jay nodded affirmatively, "30 minutes. He is on a case."

Caitlin nodded, refocusing her attention to Barry, "Barry, you have to lie back. Okay? I am not leaving you."

Barry nodded slowly, reluctantly lying his trembling body back on the bed. His hand found Caitlin's, and he took it in a death grip, his eyes squeezed shut.

"The emotional centres in his brain show signs of being overwhelmed." Jay stated.

"His brain waves are abnormal too, they are not operating at their usual frequency, although they appear to be returning to normal." Caitlin added, studying the screen.

Harry nodded, "I believe that Mr. Allen's erratic behaviour can be attributed to an alteration of brainwaves by one Cisco Ramon."

Caitlin gave Harry a questioning look.

"Ramon's powers are based off vibrations. Said powers are greatly amplified. It is possible that in the intense fear that he experienced upon waking up and realising what had happened, he somehow transmuted that amplified emotional state to Barry. Resulting in what happened here."

Caitlin nodded, "That makes sense."

The trio stood in silence for a moment as Barry's breathing calmed and his brainwaves returned to normal.

Barry's grip on Caitlin's hand relaxed. His eyes slowly opened.

"Caitlin?"

"I am here, Barry."

Barry slowly sat up.

"What...what happened?"

"Let's just say you had a bit of an extreme reaction." Caitlin reassured.

"Reaction to what?" Barry queried, looking around the room for an explanation.

"Ramon gave you bad vibes." Harry supplied.

Barry's eyes widened, "Cisco, is...he okay?"

Caitlin bit her lip, "We don't know. He locked himself in the pipeline. I had to sedate him."

Barry nodded, he frowned as his eyes caught the motion of Caitlin's hands. He grabbed Caitlin's arm, his face contorting with worry as he observed the bruises forming on her wrist.

"Cait. Did I..."

"It's okay, Barry. You didn't do much harm. You were scared." Caitlin tried to reassure him, retracting her arm.

Barry turned to Jay and Harry.

"How _extreme_ was my reaction?"

"It was not..." Caitlin tried.

"Pretty extreme." Harry interrupted.

Caitlin gave Harry a look, the latter throwing up his hands, "There is no need to sugar coat it, Snow."

Barry raised his eyebrows, " _Guys._ "

Caitlin sighed, "Your behaviour was erratic..."

"Very erratic." Harry drily supplied.

"And you had us very worried." Caitlin forcefully continued, glaring at Harry, "But you calmed down soon enough before anything bad could happen."

"Did I hurt anyone?"

"No."

"Yes." Harry declared firmly, staring Caitlin down.

Barry turned to Harry, giving him a questioning look.

"You threw her across the room. You also bruised her wrist. You hit Garrick. Yes, I would say that you did hurt - someone. But no damage was done."

Barry's eyes widened.

"I threw you?" He asked Caitlin frantically.

Caitlin rolled her eyes, "No. More like pushed me. I am fine. You didn't hurt me."

Harry turned to leave.

"Harrison." Jay called, "You are leaving out the bit where Barry slugged you soundly across the jaw. I thought, since you were being so thorough, that you would have liked to mention it."

Harry stopped in his tracks, and spun around to face Jay, his face turned to stone.

"I hit you?" Barry tried cautiously.

Harry huffed impatiently, "Yes. Yes you did. I didn't mention it, Garrick, because I thoroughly deserved it. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a metahuman to check on." 

And with that, Harry spun on his heels and stalked off to the pipeline.

Caitlin bit her lip.

"I should probably go check on Cisco, too." She said after a moment's hesitation, cautiously following after Harrison.

xXx

Patty was stupid. Okay, not that kind of stupid. She double majored in physics and chemistry, and she is one of the best detectives in the business. She had an extremely high IQ. No, the type of stupid she was evidencing was that kind of stupid where you do stupid-ass things because you are driven by emotion and hatred and you go after the guy who killed your Dad and is now a metahuman without a weapon because you are just way too fucking stupid and drunk to think up a plan.

It was the kind of stupid that resulted in her waking up in the hospital without any recollection other that storming into the warehouse with her pistol drawn.

Patty squeezed her eyes shut, the flourescent lights piercing her skull. She groaned as she rubbed her forehead. Definitely a hangover.

And that's when the pain hit her. It blossomed across her stomach and ran up and down her left arm to her wrist. Her back screamed in pain at the slightest movement, and her right knee felt like it had been torn in two. She drew in a sharp breath, suddenly acutely aware of how every inch of her body was shrieking in pain.

What did she do?

"Patty?"

Her eyes slowly eased open at the gentle voice, and Barry's startlingly green eyes swam into view. She realised with a stab of guilt that the red-rimmed orbs showed signs of crying, and that the lines on his painfully pale face were deeper than usual.

She made her best attempt at a smile, but she was sure that it looked more like a grimace.

"Hey." She finally managed to croak out. The heaviness on her heart lifted a little as Barry's face broke into a very rare grin.

"Hey," He replied, keeping his voice soft, "You took a lot of hits."

Patty grimaced, "Yeah. Don't know exactly what I did to get them."

Her heart sank again as Barry's face fell. She tried to sit up, only for Barry to gently still her with his hand on her shoulder.

"That is probably not the best idea, Pat."

Patty nodded, observing her boyfriend. He was pulled up as close to her bed as his wheelchair would allow him to be. He looked sick. And worried. His skin was pulled tightly over his cheekbones, and his face was a shade of white that she had never seen on him before. His pale lips were pressed into a thin line, and his forehead formed worried creases between his eyebrows.

"How long was I out?"

"Two days." Barry whispered, his voice hoarse.

Patty couldn't stand it anymore, "What's wrong, Barry?"

Barry half-heartedly coughed out a disbelieving laugh, he looked to the side, biting his lower lip thoughtfully. He brought his face up to her eyes again, smiling sadly as his own eyes glistened with moisture, "What do you remember, Patty?"

"Don't change the subject..."

"I'm not."

Patty stopped, searching Barry's eyes for any clues for what he was getting at. His eyes were desperate, pleading for her to remember. _Something._

Barry snaked his hand into hers and touched his forehead to her wrist as she shook her head.

"Barry, what's going on?"

 **Boom! Cliffhanger! I said I would work in that whole Mardon vs Patty thing somehow. Don't worry, it is not finished. I will still flesh out that whole situation and how Snart will warn Barry before it is too late. Also, I felt that Cisco should be able to somehow affect people's emotions with his vibes. It would be pretty cool. Now, for the apologies: I am terribly sorry that my medical shit is not up to standard. I do try my best to research this stuff, but there is just so much time in a day, and I am really not cut out for the medical side of things anyway, so I am really sorry for all the inacuracies. As a self-proclaimed hacker, I always cringe at any story's inaccuracies regarding computery stuff, so I can just imagine how you nurses and med students reading this must feel. I am terribly sorry. If you guys have any pointers, please pm me and I will edit the chapters accordingly. Please. I hate being inaccurate. Also, I am really sorry for the inconsistency of my updates. I did warn you guys, but schoolwork is no excuse. I made a commitment to try and update this as often as possible and so far I have not been living up to that. I am really sorry. Truly sorry. (Okay, now I sound like Ten. Stop it Chara!)**

 **Anyways, as usual, I hope you guys are enjoying this story so far and if you have any suggestions, requests, constructive criticisms or digital brownies, please post a review and/or pm me! Lots of love and God bless!**


	10. Ousted

**Long-Ass Author's note: Hi. Again. My apologies for taking so long. I should seriously consider setting up an updating schedule for myself. Huh. Good luck with that, Char. Okay, on another note, here are some important tidbits:**

 **After some very long deliberation after the reveal in 2x16 and subsequent events, I have decided that I am going to keep everything the way it is. I am not going to change my story and the subsequent stories that I had in mind because of a plot twist, because hey, my story, my rules. And this is an AU.**

 **So yeah, the team are still working on fighting Zoom. I have not forgotten about him. But I am taking my own route. I might incorporate some events from the season into this fic, but you never know :).**

 **Some important things, like Earth-2, Jesse coming home, the V-drugs, etc, will be incorporated into this story. No doubt about that. They will just have to happen on my own terms because of the nature of this story. (But hey, isn't that what fanfiction is about? The story on the fan's terms?)**

 **And once again, I am petitioning you med students, nurses, and anyone with a smidgeon of medical know-how to point out medical errors for me and suggest some stuff, because, hey, I am all about accuracy! :)**

 **Anyway, without any further ado, here is CHAPTER 10! WE HAVE MADE IT TO THE DOUBLE DIGITS! YASSS!**

 **Enjoy,**

 **Char.**

"Barry, what is going on?"

Barry's heart sank through the floor even as he sat there next to Patty's bed. She didn't remember. He was partially glad that she didn't, but he was also incredibly concerned. How could it be that she pulls a stunt like she did, angry as she was, and not remember any of it?

 _I never want him to find out how_ angry _I am._

That is what an injured and drunk Patty said to Joe when he arrived on the scene in response to a 911 call placed two days ago by a frantic bystander. It was a Metahuman attack, there was a girl with a gun. She was going to die.

Joe's heart felt like it was about to crawl out of his throat when he saw his partner lying in the middle of the road next to the abandoned warehouse, her blood pooling around her as Mardon stood over her, forming a good-sized ball of hail in his hands. Before Mardon could deliver the final blow, a member of the Taskforce took Mardon out with the boot. Patty's gun was still held in an iron grip, and she had managed to shoot Mardon twice in the shoulder before Joe got to her, applying pressure to the gash in her stomach and coaxing the gun out of her hands.

The ambulances had arrived shortly after. So had Snart.

Snart simply locked eyes with Joe, questioning him. Joe shook his head. That was all he needed. He froze the boot, broke the tethers, and dragged Mardon back towards the warehouse.

That last bit was soon lost in the urgency as the paramedics swarmed around Patty, gently coaxing Joe away.

 _I never want him to find out how_ angry _I am._

Patty was lifted into the ambulance on a stretcher.

 _Please, don't tell him. Don't tell him I was angry._

Joe got into the back of the ambulance with his partner.

 _Barry can't know I'm angry, Joe._

Patty was given morphine, and she began to drift off.

 _Barry can't know._

But Barry did know. Joe told him. The nurse told him. And he felt like an absolute failure. He was supposed to speak to her. He was supposed to help her. He was supposed to make her feel safe.

Instead, he was so focused on his own pain that he did not even notice that his girlfriend was angry enough to attempt to murder a powerful metahuman that even the Flash could not have defeated on a good day. He was so consumed with his own bad luck that he fell blind to all of the pain consuming _her._

She was falling apart before his eyes the whole time and he had never noticed. Not once. What was going to happen to her now?

Patty's urgent _"Barry."_ pulled him out of his guilt-ridden thoughts.

He finally looked up, catching Patty's eyes. Her beautiful, hazel eyes. Their corners were strained back, and her brows were furrowed into a tight frown in the middle of her forehead. The way they were when she was worried, amused, or just confused.

She had so many tells, and yet he had managed to miss the pain.

How did that happen?

Patty squeezed his hand, and Barry realised that he had been staring.

Barry shook his head. "Patty, you are not okay. You are _not_ okay. You have not been for a long time and somehow...somehow I missed that."

Patty's face smoothed out, her eyebrows rose up, and she pressed her lips firmly together as she retracted her hand from Barry's, folding her arms against her chest.

"Patty..." Barry pleaded, extending his hand to her again, only to take it back into his lap as she turned away from him.

"Patty. Talk to me. Please."

No response.

Barry turned his face to the clock and watched the hands move at one beat per second. Slowly he became aware of the warm trickle down his cheek. He quickly wiped it away. He needed her to open up. She did not need him to break down in front of her.

"...know." Patty whispered. Barry turned as quickly as his chair would let him.

"What was that?"

Patty cursed the tears welling up in her eyes, "I did not want you to know."

Barry fought past the pang in his chest and placed his hand on the bed, inviting and non-threatening.

"Why?" Barry ventured after a moment.

Patty's brow furrowed, "I was...scared. I was scared I would lose you."

Barry fought the urge to counter that statement and kept silent, letting her think for a bit before she continued.

"When I was in high school, my Dad...my Dad had a little shoe shop."

Barry leaned a bit closer, and Patty's hand found his.

"It was a small place, on a corner. It...wasn't much, but it paid our bills. My Dad actually loved the place."

A small smile graced Patty's features at the memory, but it was gone as soon as it came.

"After school, I helped my Dad out with the shop. Small things, like shine the shelves. Man the register. Take…take the cash to deposit it at the bank at the end of the week. You know, responsible stuff."

Patty paused, and her breath hitched. Barry squeezed her hand encouragingly.

"One day, I just skipped. I went out to the movies with my friends after school because I thought that I deserved a break. When I got home...the cops were waiting for me. My Dad was dead. He was shot in the face for a couple hundred dollars. And I was out being stupid and silly with my friends and..."

Patty's breathing grew quicker as the dam broke, "It should have been me. It should have been me, Barry. Mardon should have shot _me_ but instead he took my Father away from me."

"Patty..."

"I have made my whole life about getting justice for my father. And now, I have met you and you are really so great. So, so great and this doesn't even feel real to me and I am so scared that you will find out just how angry I am. It will ruin everything. I can't do this to you, I can't be a burden to you. You have been through so much -"

"Patty."

"- and now I am just causing you more pain."

Barry let go of Patty's hand and placed his hand over her bicep, stilling her instantly.

"Patty. Listen to me. You can never be a burden to me, no matter how much pain you went through in the past. No matter what you do. I care too much for you to let that happen. What happened to me, this...stroke of bad luck? It has got nothing to do with you and everything to do with me. What matters right now, is you. I have been far too caught up in myself and my own self-pity that I failed to notice the amount of pain you were in. I can never forgive myself for that."

Patty shook her head, tears glistening on her flushed cheeks, "Barry..."

"I love you, Patty." Barry stated. Simply and firmly.

Patty stared at Barry, her eyes wide and unblinking. Her lip began to tremble, and her brow furrowed further as she tried to keep the tears back.

"I love you." Barry repeated quietly. He watched on as a tear slid down Patty's cheek, but that spectacle was cut short, because he presently had Patty's face pressed into his shoulder.

He brought his arms around her, careful not to aggravate her injuries. He kissed her on top of her head and began rocking her steadily as she finally melted and let years of pain come to the surface, clutching onto him with all that she had.

 _I love you._

 _Xxx_

"Cisco. It has been two days. You have not hurt anyone. I think it is time you should come out."

"Nope."

"Cisco..."

"Nu-uh."

"At least let Kendra come to see you, Cisco."

"No."

"You can't carry on like this, and you cannot keep pushing her away!" Caitlin burst out, her eyes blazing as she finally reached her limit.

Cisco went silent and looked up, his brown eyes swimming with untold emotion.

"You can't keep pushing _us_ away." Caitlin finished, her voice cracking with finality.

Cisco bowed his head, bringing his knees closer to his body.

"Please."

After a full minute of silence, Cisco finally uncurled himself.

"Where is Barry?"

"He is at the hospital."

Cisco's eyes widened, "Is he okay?"

Caitlin smiled, stilling Cisco's nerves, "Yes. He is fine. He is just visiting someone."

Cisco nodded numbly. Caitlin stepped closer and stood directly in front of the glass.

Cisco looked up and watched Caitlin as she gently set herself down next to the cell and curled up against the glass. Slowly but surely Cisco edged himself closer, until he was leaning against the glass, facing away from Caitlin. Caitlin followed suit and faced away from him, lying back to back with Cisco on her side of the glass.

"You should not blame yourself, Cisco."

"You keep telling me that."

"Because it's true."

"It does not take away the fact that I killed someone. Someones. Two people, Caitlin. Why am I not being investigated for a double homicide?"

"It was an accident."

"An intentional one. I wanted to kill them. After they hurt Kendra...I lost it, Caitlin. How do you know it will not happen again?"

Caitlin worried her lower lip, "We don't know that."

Cisco lifted his eyes to the roof, "Then why am I not already being shipped off to Arkham, or Belle Reve, or something?"

"I am not finished, Cisco."

"I am listening."

"We cannot quantify anything to do with human emotions. I can never guarantee you that you will never want to kill again. I can never guarantee myself that I will ever...get over Ronnie. Nothing is guaranteed. What is true, however, is that at your core? You are a _good person_ , Cisco. And you have us. And we love you. Nothing can change that."

Caitlin turned around and put her hand on the glass, spreading her fingers out, "Nothing can change how much we care about you. How much _I_ care about you."

Cisco turned to look at Caitlin, his lip trembling as he saw her hand on the glass. He put his hand up to match her, and their fingers spread in sync to form a V-shape.

"I am, and always shall be -"

"-Your friend." Cisco finished in time with Caitlin, a single tear trickling down his cheek.

The pair leaned forward, and their foreheads came to rest against the glass. They turned and curled up to sit more comfortably, their hands never leaving their places on either side of the barrier.

That's how Harry found them a few minutes later, Caitlin curled up against the glass, gazing thoughtfully at her best friend, and Cisco finally sleeping for the first time in two days, his hand still pressed against the glass.

Xxx

"They decked the halls with the body parts of a girl named Holly, falalala lalala laaaaa….." The trickster crowed, taking dolls apart and reassembling them into grotesque forms that only he could come up with.

"Shut up or I will freeze your larynx." Mark called irately from where he leaned against a doorpost, his arm in a sling and his shoulder heavily bandaged.

The Trickster's eyes brightened, "Markie! You are up and about! About time hmmm? I almost thought that you forgot about our little mission..."

Mark rolled his eyes, "You try getting shot, Jesse."

"You try getting your hand chopped off! So much fun!" Jesse rebutted, swirling around the warehouse toward another workbench, both hands clearly intact.

Mark lifted an eyebrow, but then proceeded to saunter over to Jesse.

"You haven't seen Snart around, haven't you?"

"He left earlier. Probably to go on one of his stalking episodes. Always this one kid, never could figure out why he was so special."

Mark nodded, "I think he might know something. Something important."

Jesse paid Mark almost no mind, finishing off an explosive candy cane.

Mark thought for a moment, "You said he only ever follows this one kid, right? Always the same one?"

Jesse snorted, "I see absolutely no point in it, unless he is on some pity parade. The kid is paralysed, and quite boring if I say so myself. However -"

Jesse paused, fishing a photograph out of his breast pocket and slapping it in front of Mardon, his eyes gleaming wickedly, "I took this two days ago. He is _very_ attractive, hmmm?"

Mark brushed off Jesse's last comment, carefully studying the photograph. The kid looked vaguely familiar.

"Do you know who he is?"

The Trickster feigned being hurt, "Honestly, Markie, do think that I do not do my research? His name is Barry Allen, the used-to-be forensic assistant for the CCPD. He got his wheels in a very vague accident about three months ago, the very same time that a certain friend of ours was taken out by the Dark Speedster, never to be seen again!" Jesse finished triumphantly.

Mark pressed his lips thinly together, the irritation in his chest threatening to boil over. If Jesse saw the faint mist forming around Mardon's good hand, he did not show it.

"You knew that Barry Allen was the Flash, and you did not think to tell us?" Mark seethed, his eyes darkening dangerously.

The Trickster's eyes gleamed in amusement, "Calm down, Markie! I like my friends to do their own thinking! However, Lenny knew the Flash's identity long before this proposition of yours came along, and he failed to share that information with the class, for what reason I do not know! However, I would have thought that he would have been a bit more careful with his 'visitations'. It did not take me very long to connect the dots."

Mardon took the photograph in his hand, studying it intently. The photograph was taken from an angle that captured the kid and everything around him without the photographer being caught. He had to admit that the Trickster was an excellent stalker. The photograph was taken just outside Central City hospital. Allen was being pushed by a young, dark skinned woman out the main doors, which were being held by a man who looked startlingly familiar, but it was impossible to tell who he was as he was facing away from the camera. The two facing the camera both looked pretty distressed, Allen especially, his lips pressed into a thin line as his empty eyes stared off to the side. If Mardon had to guess, he was either visiting a friend or a relative…

Patty Spivot. She was a detective for the CCPD. She started working there a good couple of weeks before the Showdown. Now Mark remembered where he heard Allen's name before. Patty Spivot often worked closely with Barry Allen. Post-Showdown, she often took early days and left to do who-knows-what. (Yes, Mardon did extensive research on Spivot after two nights ago. He had to know who she was.)

The puzzle pieces all fell together. The two knew each other. They were possibly friends, maybe more. Not only was this girl the bitch that tried to take him out, she was also dating his arch-Enemy that stole his only chance at vengeance for his brother.

"Your hands mist up when you are pissed at someone, you know that? I knew that. It is very useful." The Trickster drily spoke up, playing with a dismantled doll's arm.

Mardon turned the photo to Jesse, "You know who this is?" Mardon asked, pointing to the man holding the door.

Jesse began giggling, and the giggling turned into full fledged laughter.

The mist around Mardon's hand intensified.

"I was surprised you did not recognise him from the get-go, Markie. That is Detective Joe West."

Joe West.

The world swam, and Mardon's vision turned red around the edges.

Snart had explaining to do.

Mark had killing to do.


End file.
